Have you ever gone to work only to find out that people have been laid off, or your company is being “reorganized”? Maybe you’ve experienced an unexpected death in the family, or a diagnosis of cancer after a routine visit to the Dr.

This type of stress takes us by surprise and sometimes leaves us feeling out of control.  Our bodies and minds tell us to instantly respond to the stress.  Our emotions run high, and our reactions usually differ from a normal stress response.  This is because we were “surprised” and not prepared for the stress coming our way.  It’s just like a fly ball hit into the stands when you weren’t looking out for it; Your head is turned and then ……bam!!

In 1 Kings 19, we find the story of Elijah and Queen Jezebel.  Elijah is surprised when Queen Jezebel threatens to kill him after he defeated the prophets of Baal.  This terrible surprise news scared him.  Instead of going to the Lord, who initially helped him defeat the prophets, Elijah’s stress response was to run and hide in a different city.   When he got there, he was so afraid that he actually prayed death to himself to avoid being murdered by this wicked Queen.

His reaction is not contrary to what many of us have done when we’ve felt our world falling down on us.  In a surprise situation of great magnitude, it’s easy to give in to fear, anger, despair, and sadness and look only at the situation instead of immediately looking to God who is above all situations.

In verse  5, we see that God sent an angel to Elijah.  The angel provided food, drink and much needed sleep.  In other words, God comforted Elijah in his time of need.  He settled his mind and gave him nourishment so that He could receive instruction.  This is what God will do for all of us during our times of “surprise stress”.  He understands us because he created us.  He knows our fears before we even have to face them and will provide rest, nourishment, and comfort in our time of need.

As our story continues, Elijah finds himself on a long journey where he ends up on the “mountain of God”.   While there, God sent a great wind, earthquake, and a fire for Elijah to experience and then it says that God spoke to him in a still small voice.  We also experience circumstantial winds, earthquakes and fire that is brought down upon us by almighty God to get us ready to hear His still, small voice that wants to speak to our heart.

I’m sure that after the wind and earthquake, Elijah saw how insignificant a threat of death really was in the face of Jehovah God who could open up the earth and swallow him in a minute!  And then… when he felt the heat of fire on his face, He knew who really held the power of heaven and hell in His hands.  It surely wasn’t Jezebel.  He realized that he had no need to fear her.  His only healthy fear now was the fear of the Lord Jesus Christ and Elijah’s trust for protection was now completely in the one who created the wind, earth, and fire!

It’s interesting that after those elements of nature, he was istructed to go back the way he came.  Ouch!!!  Now he had to  put his faith into action and face his fear which exposed him to danger again.

1 Kings 19:15  says, “Then the Lord told him, “Go back the same way you came, and travel to the wilderness of Damascus. When you arrive there, anoint Hazael to be king of Aram.¹⁶ Then anoint Jehu grandson of Nimshi^[b] to be king of Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from the town of Abel-meholah to replace you as my prophet.¹⁷ Anyone who escapes from Hazael will be killed by Jehu, and those who escape Jehu will be killed by Elisha! ¹⁸ Yet I will preserve 7,000 others in Israel who have never bowed down to Baal or kissed him!” 

When Elijah obeyed,  the victory soon thereafter went to the Lord.  Jezebel was eventually destroyed.  Elijah went on to live, see much success, mentored his successor,  and was rewarded ultimately by the greatest surprise of his life…..not having to face death.  Instead, he was taken to heaven by God riding “first class” in a chariot of fire!

WOW!!!! God is truly amazing and that, my friends, should be no surprise to us at all!!

Stephanie is leading a workshop on stress at our upcoming conference SHE SOARS 2017. Find more info about it on our conference page: SHE SOARS 2017

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 A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. (Proverbs 17:22)

Discrimination, which is a form of rejection, includes the emotions of loneliness, unacceptance, unforgiveness, fear, anger, and guilt. These emotions, left unchecked, can manifest into both mental and physical health issues for those who experience them, as documented in a recent APA study called Stress In America – The Impact of Discrimination.

The latest bandaid that Americans have come up with to fight discrimination is diversity management.  Political in nature, diversity management promotes racial and behavioral unity through communication and understanding of feelings, terminology, promotion of policy to enable minority advancement, and education/exercises in tolerance to accept certain behaviors as normal. Diversity management is seen in many corporations, public education institutions, and now we are even seeing it in churches and Christian education institutions.

While this sounds wonderful on the surface, because it does give minorities more opportunity and a voice, it promotes division by concentrating on differences instead of what unifies us as the human race.  Guilt is frequently used as a tool for change, which is very unhealthy.  As well, these programs do not teach the new generations about the power of forgiveness.

As Christians, we are called to live counter to our culture and handle stress of any kind through the truth of the Word of God.  Romans 12:2: Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.  When we do this, our body and our mind are in a state of gratitude to the Father above for releasing us from this stress and this allows us to live in peace and harmony on the inside with everyone, which in turn brings us better mental and physical health.

As ambassadors for Christ living and working in the world among those that have embraced cultural coping mechanisms, God encourages us to love, and minister to those in need. Philippians 2:3-4: Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. This is much different from the acceptance taught in Diversity 101 because sometimes this means having hard conversations with people about their life.  We should love people enough to want their internal healing more than we want their approval or acceptance.

Geneva College states on their web page entitled,  A Christian View of Diversity that “Multicultural diversity, then, is not to be spurned by the Christian community. Rather, Christians and Christian communities have a special obligation to demonstrate the reality of Christ’s culture-transforming love. In obeying the twin mandates of the Cultural Mandate and the Great Commission, we will discover more and more of the creational blessedness of multicultural diversity as human beings who are reconciled to God and to each other because of Jesus Christ our Lord.”  I tend to agree.

Christian to Christian, when it comes to stress caused by stereotypical comments, racial slurs, jokes in poor taste, or a complete unawareness of actions due to learned behavior, we are to confront and not cower.  We must go to our brother and/or sister in Christ and use scripture to admonish and teach. 2 Timothy 3:16: All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.

Likewise, when we hurt someone intentionally or unintentionally with our words and actions, we should feel convicted and humble ourselves at the foot of the cross, apologize, and ask for forgiveness. Ephesians 4:32: Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. James 5:16 :Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.

If you are experiencing mental or physical health issues that stem from the pain of discrimination/rejection in your life or if you have participated in this sin and feel guilty, God wants to heal your emotional pain!  Remember always that He is the great Physician and the great “I Am”.

1 Peter 2:24: He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.

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Passage: Matthew 18: 21-35

Key Verses: “Then Peter came and said to Him, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and forgive him? Up to seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.” Vs.21-22

 “I’m sorry for being mean today,” the little one says. Sissy replies: “It’s ok. I was mean too. And I’m sorry.”

They laugh, hug and turn on their music: “You make everything glooorious, I am Yoooours!” They sing and dance together.

Sitting at my desk and smiling ear to ear, I heard God whisper in my soul: “They bless my heart.”

Forgiveness…

Is there anything harder to break through, more difficult to master, than asking for and extending forgiveness?

I think not.

And yet, it’s evident that those who forgive have a richer, more peaceful life than those who hold grudges or those who are too prideful to admit when they’re wrong.

Yes, I firmly believe that forgiveness is one of the keys to an abundant life.

On the other hand, lack of forgiveness is the reason behind much of the world’s stress and misery.

As you turn on the TV, you’ll see that revenge is idealized as the pinnacle of success. Turning the other cheek? Nope. “Revenge belongs to ME”, the world cries out.

But what about us, Jesus followers? How do we respond to repeated offenses?

“Then Peter came and said to Him, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” v.21

Let’s be honest. We can relate to Peter. As a matter of fact, our dear apostle thought he was being “extra spiritual” when he asked the Lord if forgiving seven times was enough. After all, he had heard Jewish rabbis teach that forgiving the same offender three times was sufficient.

Jesus exposed the true issue behind this concept: Peter was holding a forgiveness meter. His words showed that he intended to measure up the injuries done to him. When the measure was full, he would be allowed to avenge the wrong doing. Therefore he still thought of himself as a judge somewhat, when God tells us that “there’s only one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and to destroy…” James 4:12 a

“Seventy times seven”, Jesus said.

Seven. The number that represents completion. Perfection. Righteousness revealed.

Is there anything more righteous than extending grace and forgiveness to the undeserving? Is there anything more Christ-like than saying: “It’s ok… I’ve been mean too. I forgive you.”

Just as my daughter told her little sister…

Or will we do as the slave in the parable, whose huge debt was completely forgiven by his Master, and yet, was unable to extend the same forgiveness to his fellow slave. The measure of his debt couldn’t compare to the amount his friend owed him. In today’s money, his Master had forgiven him a debt equivalent to over $10,000,000 . A fortune! His friend owed him about $15. Still, he would not forgive him.

Sounds ridiculous, right?

And it is. Yet, Jesus’ message rings with the intensity of the meaning behind this parable: How dare we withhold a smudge of grace from our brothers and sisters, when we were lavished by grace through His precious blood!

No, it’s not easy. I don’t claim it to be. But forgiveness is not an option. It’s a demand. We must forgive, lest we impair our connection with the Father. He can’t extend grace when we withhold it from our neighbor. The Bible is filled with reminders of that truth. (Ephesians 4:32; Colossians 3:13; Luke 6:37; Romans 12:19)

“Will you forgive again?” God asks.

What should our answer be?

A twelve year old reminded me today:

“Yes, it’s ok. I’ve been mean too. I forgive you.”

“How many times?”

Seventy times seven… Forever… Completely…

Enough to become more like Jesus.

Verses to Meditate Upon:

“But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too.” Mark 11:25 (NLT)

“Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing.” 1 Peter 3:9 (NLT)

“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” Ephesians 4:32 (NIV)

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