Two-minute read.
When life presses into you, what comes out of your heart speaks volumes. Whatever you fill your heart with determines what comes out when it gets squeezed. Place a teabag in hot water, and it becomes flavored with the tea leaves. Instead of the boiling fluid changing the leaves, the leaves change the water.
For many years, when life squeezed me, anger poured out. After dedicating my life to God and consistently filling my heart with His word, I respond differently now. Through therapy and much study, I have learned techniques to control my thoughts and emotions, and react more like Jesus than Beth.
Faith changes us; the more we give our lives to Christ, the more we experience the transformation. And when the pressure gets tough, we will respond with love and grace. Do I still have times when I respond negatively? Of course. I’m only human, and I will never react perfectly in this world because I’m not of it. When the Lord calls me home, I will attain perfection in Him, but until then, like all of us, I’m a work in progress.
Let faith guide your responses by drawing closer to Christ. Every day that you fill your soul with His word, spending time with the Savior in prayer, and becoming more like Him, you transform.
Instead of spreading negativity, we will share Christ’s unconditional love. We won’t respond to an offense with anger; instead, grace will cover it. And when the pressure of life gets to us, we will respond with faith, knowing God works all things to the good for those who trust and believe in Him (Romans 8:28).
Journal Question:
Describe a time you responded poorly under pressure.
How does knowing Jesus change your response to stress?
In what ways can you apply Christ’s teaching to your pressure situation today?
Prayer:
Lord, thank You for giving us faith that helps us respond like Jesus under pressure. Please transform us as we follow You, becoming more like Christ and less like us.
IJNIP. Amen
