Stress, Trials, Thoughts and Your Health – How God Can Help. James 1:2-8

Our reactions to the trials and stressors of our life are a key determinant of our emotional and physical health. It’s not the events or the relationship issues that have a detrimental impact on our health, it’s our interpretation and perception of them.

In most days of our lives, we find ourselves in situations that can impact us in either a negative or a positive way. First, the event or circumstance occurs. This is generally quickly followed by the emotions that we experience. Then, typically, we react with our behavior and what we say.  Our reactions are most often automatic because we do this out of habit. Our reactions will have either a positive or a negative impact on our body based, based on the accompanying emotions we experience.

We have an opportunity to impact our emotions and corresponding reactions by the thoughts that we have right after the experience or the event. With practice, we can train ourselves to think positively as opposed to negatively. We can choose to ask the Holy Spirit to control our thoughts, emotions and our reactions. This is the type of wisdom that James speaks of in James 1:2-8.

“Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.” James 1:2-8

Awareness of your thoughts and reactions is key to changing how you respond to stressors and trials. If you make a choice deep in your will to become more aware of how you respond to events in your life, you’ll be able to make changes with the help of the Holy Spirit. Changed responses will help you to become more like Christ and therefore your light will shine brighter. Learning to respond differently can also impact your health.  Instead of your system releasing unhealthy chemicals into your body because of the toxic emotions you experience, the healthy chemicals that are released with your positive emotions will promote health.

It’s all about perspective. I urge you to look at your trials and potential life stressors as opportunities for spiritual growth. If you can have this mindset, it will change your life. And, God will be glorified as you credit His Spirit for helping you make this change.

Questions to Reflect On

What is you level of awareness of your thoughts that immediately follow stressful occurrences? Are your negative emotions and the corresponding physical reactions in your body impacting negatively on your health?

Resources Related to Thoughts and Health

Wikipedia Article – The Biology of Stress and Health

Faith and Health Article – Are Your Thoughts Making You Unhealthy?

Faith and Health Article – Manage Your Stress With God’s Help

Research on Religion, Spirituality and Health – Crossroads, September, 2011

I’m passing along a link to the September, 2011 issue of Crossroads, a newsletter from the Center for Spirituality, Theology and Health at Duke University.

This publication explores the research in the field of religion, spirituality and health.  This issue includes several opportunities relevant to those interested in spirituality and health, including a “call-for-papers” in the area of religion, spirituality and depression, information about the NIH loan repayment program, a clinical workshop on integrating spirituality into cognitive behavioral therapy, and a new training program (masters of arts or master of science) in spirituality, theology and health in the United Kingdom.

More posts about the Research in religion, spirituality and health.

Healthcare, Wellness and Wholeness – Humility, Patience and Gentleness

Yet another post with insight and my thoughts from my reading of Health Care You Can Live With by Dr. Scott Morris, founder of the Church Health Center in Memphis, Tennessee. The excerpts below are directly from the referenced chapters.

Excerpts From Chapters 17, 18 and 19

“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.”  Colossians 3:12–14

Put On Humility

People see humility as a sign of weakness, rather than a positive trait. Humility is a sign of strength. It means you do not first think about yourself at every turn. It means you don’t become consumed with what you need before you think about what someone else needs. Humility says, “I care about my neighbor, and I am strong enough to put my neighbor’s needs first before I take care of myself.”

Pride is the American way. We obsess over being able to tell people what we’ve accomplished and what we’re sure we can do. Pride leads us to block people from having a place in our lives.

Working on humility is a daily experience.

Jesus humbled himself. He set aside the glory of being God to move into our neighborhood and be one of us. Jesus set aside his glory for you.… You are made for a relationship with God. Jesus came to show us that relationship.

Don’t measure your worth by what you can do or what you look like or what other people think about you. See who you are in God’s eyes.

True humility is about being grateful for God’s grace in your life and reflecting it in your relationships. True humility recognizes that everything you have comes from God. True humility frees you from a pointless search for something to be proud of.

Put on humility toward yourself and take the next step toward wholeness of body-and-spirit. It will be good for your health. Read more of this article »