June 6-12 is National Headache Awareness Week as recognized by the National Headache Foundation. The page at the link I’ve provided has some excellent educational material on the topic. I certainly have not seen such complete medical documentation and reference material on headaches.
I imagine many of us have had a debilitating form of migraine headache over the years. I can remember when I was under some chronic and severe stress years ago and how I suffered from frequent cluster headaches. They were a pain! Among the materials provided on the above site is a guide to preventing and alleviating the pain associated with migraines. Many prevention methods are mentioned.
They report that the most common type of headache is a tension headache. Tension headaches are due to tight muscles in your shoulders, neck, scalp and jaw. They are often related to stress, depression or anxiety. Therapies to reduce stress that they mention are biofeedback, progressive muscle relaxation, yoga, deep breathing and creative visualization. At the end of the paragraph they say “techniques discussed use the mind’s own power to change the central nervous system in a manner that can stop a migraine attack before it progresses to the pain phase.” I find it interesting that the National Headache Foundation uses the term “alternative” treatments in describing these prevention and treatment techniques.
Sadly, there’s no mention of God’s primary therapy for the prevention of headaches. Do not worry. In Matthew 6:25-34, Jesus outlines his teaching on worry. He reminds us that God will provide for our most basic needs. Jesus further instructs us to make the Kingdom of God and his righteousness our primary concern.
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.” Proverbs 3:5
It’s our nature to worry about the things of life, but God reminds us in his guidelines for living, the Bible, to give our worries to him. To trust him fully. When we are able to do that we are able to give him our cares and concerns and trust that he is in control of our circumstances. This certainly seems to be the very best prevention method for headaches.
Questions About Stress and Worries to Reflect On
What do you frequently worry or have anxiety about?
When was the last time you quietly and expectantly asked God to take care of that issue?
How are you seeking God’s Kingdom on a regular basis?
Hummingbirds live on nectar from flowers and the sugars that are found in specialty feeders. I have two plants out back that have attracted Ruby Throated Hummingbirds for the past five years. One is an Autumn Sage. The other is a Black and Blue plant – which is what the hummingbird in this video is feeding on. The last few days, these tiny birds have been visiting these flowers frequently as they stock up on the needed fuel they will need for their migration South.
These little birds are amazing. Their average weight is 1/8 ounce. Their wings beat between 40 and 80 beats/second. They breathe approximately 250 times per minute . Their heart rate is an unbelievable 250 beats/min at rest and 1200 beats/min while feeding. Finally, in flight they reach up to 63 miles/hour. Most researchers seem to accept the fact that those who migrate to the Caribbean Islands and Mexico cross the Gulf and Atlantic Ocean waters during a non-stop flight taking 18-20 hours. No wonder they require a lot of food for energy and strength!
People Need God
I imagine most of you know the story of David and Goliath. When David came face to face with the giant, he relied on God’s presence for strength. Read 1 Samuel 17:1-51. David was clearly aware that God was with him. and that the battle was not his, but God’s.(verse 45)
During David’s battle, he focused on God’s presence, not his circumstance or problem. David’s knowledge of God’s presence prevented him from becoming discouraged or giving up.
If you focus on life’s challenges and your opposition in the battles you face, you are likely to lose hope and give up. When you stay in God’s presence and keep the focus on him, he will give you optimism and the strength you need.
Remember, with God, all things are possible. Matthew 19:26
Questions for Reflection
When you need extra strength to make it through a tough or challenging time or when you are facing “giants” in your life, where do you turn? What is your source of strength?
One daily devotional I use is In Touch Magazine, written by Charles Stanley. The verse for today’s devotional is Matthew 11:28-30, a verse I almost refer to when I speak on the topic of faith, stress and health. Because Stanley does such a wonderful job of addressing these verses, I thought I’d share today’s devotion with you. The following is today’s devotional.
Jesus - "Take my yoke upon you" Matthew 11:29
Jesus invites all burdened individuals to come to Him for rest, yet so often we misunderstand what He is offering. When stresses and problems weigh us down, the most natural response is to ask God for relief: “Lord, I can’t carry this anymore. I’m going to leave it here with you.” Having dumped the burden like a bag of garbage, we walk away but remained unchanged inside.
God doesn’t operate that way. Christ’s invitation is to join Him in the yoke so you can walk and work together. He doesn’t want just your burden; He wants you! The yoke of Christ is a symbol of discipleship, characterized by submission and obedience to Him. God’s goal isn’t simply to give relief by removing a weighty trial or affliction; He longs to draw you to Himself in a close and trusting relationship. Those who take Him up on His offer will be transformed and won’t ever return to their old ways. Read more of this article »
Over the last week I have enjoyed watching the Tour de France and Lance Armstrong’s return to the sport after a three year break. The competition has been terrific. One reason I enjoy watching the Tour is because of the beautiful mountainous locations of some of the daily rides or stages. This is a map of the route.
Today and the next few days, the riders will be traversing over the Swiss Alps, a gorgeous part of Europe. I was stationed in southern Germany for one of my Army assignments and we lived about 45 minutes north of Innsbruck in the foothills of the Austrian Alps. My last day of skiing in Europe was on a Swiss mountainside so I can appreciate that the scenery in that area of the world is breathtaking. It’s easily the prettiest place I have ever been. Read more of this article »
Researchers on Friday made public a large study with a finding that we should not find surprising: Losing your job may make you sick.
In a study by a Harvard School of Health researcher, workers who lost a job through no fault of their own, she found, were twice as likely to report developing a new ailment like high blood pressure, diabetes or heart disease over the next year and a half, compared to people who were continuously employed.
Only 6 percent of people with steady jobs developed a new health condition during each survey period of about a year and a half, compared with 10 percent of those who had lost a job during the same period.
David Williams, a professor at the Harvard School of Public Health who was not involved in the research, said the study is a reminder that job loss and other life stressors have a tremendous impact on both mental and physical health and contribute to the development of chronic conditions.
“We know that stress affects health,” said Dr. Williams, director of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Commission to Build a Healthier America. “It causes changes in physiological function in multiple ways, and it can lead to alterations in health behavior. People no longer exercise, they eat more, they drink more. People who smoke, smoke more on high stress days.”
If you’ve lost your job recently, how are you handling your stressful situation? Are you excluding God in your “battle” or distress? Are you attempting to manage on your own by falling back into an unhealthy habit or an addictive behavior to cope? Or, are you turning towards God by asking and relying on His help?
God wants us to choose Him as our source of strength when times are tough.
This morning I visited a friend who is in the hospital the day after his surgery to remove his prostate. Mike and I were involved in a Bible study a few years ago. He was aware of my bout with prostate cancer over the the last few years so he called me several weeks ago when he learned about his positive biopsy and decision to have a da Vinci Prostatectomy. As was the case with me, early detection made all the difference in the world ensuring that his cancer was caught early on and had not spread to other organs. See these American Cancer Society guidelines.
Mike is doing well post surgery – praise God! This morning, he and I talked about the road that he’ll have ahead of him over the next few months. My prayer is that his next PSA test will be zero – an indication that there is no more cancer of that type – and that he will be spared the side effects of incontinence and erectile dysfunction.
Although none of us wants to go through really tough times and health challenges in our life, the fact is that life will brings us those types of challenges. It’s neat to be able to come out the other side and to be able to support someone who is facing the same challenges that you’d experienced and weathered.
Over the year plus that I was in my battle, I posted many blog entries about prostate cancer so others might benefit. If you’ve got a friend or you yourself have learned that you’ve been diagnosed with cancer, perhaps what I shared here over that year may be of help. Mike told me today that reading my posts were helpful for him.
I thought I’d also share again a short article I wrote about how my faith was an anchor in my battle with the cancer in hopes it might be encouraging to some.
Our life on this earth is short. Live yours to the fullest in a God-honoring way!
The key to staying grounded during these economically difficult times is keeping your trust in God. After all, what are your alternatives – trusting in yourself, the banks, your employer?
As President Obama said in a speech on Monday, “This isn’t a “run-of-the-mill recession.”" That being the case, you will not be successful in resorting to “run-of-the-mill” solutions to managing your responses to the situation.
Financial Stressors Lead to Physical Problems
The less we trust in God, the more likely we’ll be affected emotionally. Our emotional responses, if left unchecked, will affect us physically. A USA Today article in September of 2008 stated, Read more of this article »
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds.” This is what James has to say in James 1:2.
Whether it be the current challenges you face in your own financial situation or trials in your health status, difficult times are opportunities for growth. Perhaps you are at the end of your rope in an area of your life. You’ve tried everything… and nothing has helped you to get out of the hole you’re in. You feel discouraged.
Don’t lose heart. It’s at times like this that we have an opportunity to turn towards God. It’s a golden opportunity to grow deeper in our faith, as James writes about in the Bible. I have found that during my trials of life, when I make a conscious decision to surrender more completely to God I have deeper peace. Through this, I gain a better understanding of who He is and how He works. And as a result, my faith grows more and more.
This time of economic turmoil is a potentially stressful time to many. None of us can be certain about what will happen to the financial markets and to our investments. But, it’s a time that we can grow in our faith as we place greater trust in God.
During my quiet time this morning I was led to Psalm 46.
“God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. So we will not fear, even if earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea. Let the oceans roar and foam. Let the mountains tremble as the waters surge!” (1-3)
Thinking about our country’s crisis right now in the economic world you could easily substitute some words for this Psalm and it would apply today:
“So we will not fear even if a financial crisis comes in and the stock market plummets to new lows.” “Let the retirement accounts plummet and crumble and let the people on Wall Street and the stock market tremble as our confidence in the economy is at an all time low.”
The key in these verses is found in verse one and two – God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble so we will not fear.
I think that’s what God is calling us to do during these times. Remember that God is our refuge. He is our strength, so we should not fear – no matter what happens in the economic world or to our personal investments. God is reminding us to be still and know that He is God and know that He is in control and know that He will provide and He will make a way.
It’s in God that we can find our true security, no matter what happens, be it in our personal finances or any other aspect of our life.
I have been reading the works of Watchman Nee, a Chinese Christian author who died in 1972. In his book, The Spiritual Man ( a free on-line ebook), Nee writes about man’s soul and his emotions and how critical it is to allow the Holy Spirit to influence our reactions:
“One quality which characterizes a spiritual person is the great calm he maintains under every circumstance. Whatever may happen around him or however much he may be provoked, he accepts it all calmly and exhibits an unmovable nature. He is one who is able to regulate his every feeling, because his emotion has been yielded to the cross and his will and spirit are permeated with the power of the Holy Spirit. No extreme provocation has the strength to unsettle him. But if one has not accepted the dealing of the cross upon his emotion, then he will be easily influenced, stimulated, disturbed, and even governed by the external world. He will undergo constant change, for emotion shifts often. The slightest threat from outside or the smallest increase in work shall upset him and render him helpless. Whoever genuinely desires to be perfect must let the cross cut deeper into his emotion.” (P. 429)
Finally, let’s also be reminded of what the Psalmist writes in verse 10: “Be still, and know that I am God!”
The real power in one’s faith rests upon their beliefs. God designed us to believe in Him, the one true God, and in His son Jesus as our Savior. Our body, soul and spirit can only work together seamlessly when we believe this to be true in the core of our being. If we have any unbelief in this truth, then we are susceptible to emotions that will contribute to diseases in the long haul. Unbelief will open the door to doubt and anxiety. This is a form of fear… and fear is not of God. Fear is the opposite of peace. God wants us to experience peace and we can have this deep, genuine peace when we believe the truths of the Bible and when our behaviors are in alignment to the principles found there.
In this week’s verse, Paul instructs us “there is only one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity—the man Christ Jesus. He gave his life to purchase freedom for everyone.” This is at the core of the Christian faith. If we doubt this at all, we cannot enjoy the freedom that God wants for us to have… the type of freedom, and associated inner peace, that Jesus tells us about when He says in John 8:32, “the truth will set you free.”
If you have any doubt that Jesus died for your sins and that belief in Him is the only way to enter God’s kingdom eternally, then you will not experience the deep peace that He wants you to have. Your mind will entertain thoughts that are contrary to God’s Word. The anxiety that you experience will release unhealthy chemicals into your body. Over the long term, your emotional and physical health will likely be affected.
If you have any doubt about Jesus being the only way to the one God I urge you to seek the help of a pastor or to turn to God’s Word and to meditate on what you read. As deeply and humbly as possible, cry out to God to help you come to absolute belief in the fact that He alone sent His son Jesus to die for you. He does love you so much that He wants you to enjoy eternal life with Him and a full and healthy life while you are on this earth.
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June 6-12 is National Headache Awareness Week as recognized by the National Headache Foundation. The page at the link I’ve provided has some excellent educational material on the topic. I certainly have not seen such complete medical documentation and reference material on headaches.
Over the last week I have enjoyed watching the 
Researchers on Friday made public a large study with a finding that we should not find surprising: Losing your job may make you sick.
The key to staying grounded during these economically difficult times is keeping your trust in God. After all, what are your alternatives – trusting in yourself, the banks, your employer?
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds.” This is what James has to say in 
During my quiet time this morning I was led to 
Our body, soul and spirit can only work together seamlessly when we believe this to be true in the core of our being. If we have any unbelief in this truth, then we are susceptible to emotions that will contribute to diseases in the long haul. Unbelief will open the door to doubt and anxiety. This is a form of fear… and fear is not of God. Fear is the opposite of peace. God wants us to experience peace and we can have this deep, genuine peace when we believe the truths of the Bible and when our behaviors are in alignment to the principles found there.
