What is formally recognised as Stress
Awareness Month (April each year) is almost at an end. However, we are far from out of
the woods where coronavirus is concerned. We continue to live in the unprecedented times of a global pandemic and, for many, the stress is far from over.
My nephew, James (a Baptist minister) recently posted a message entitled 'A Positive Wilderness' (1) and it has given me much food for thought.
The Oxford dictionary describes the noun wilderness as meaning: uninhabited, inhospitable, neglected, a position of disfavour. All very negative sounding, agreed!! So, why the title 'A Positive Wilderness' ... is that not a contradiction in terms?
Well, the Bible gives mention of a number of times in history when people spent time in the wilderness (2) and whilst, on the surface, they may appear negative, they always led to greater things.
Earlier in the month I used the above quote in a post (3), which I believe holds so much truth and, if we can incorporate this in the way we approach life's challenges, it will revolutionise our lives and reduce the levels of stress we find ourselves dealing with.
For all its apparent negativity, the wilderness can be a place of growth, a place of preparation and a place of refinement. Yet, if we want to learn from the wilderness seasons of life, we need to be willing to ask ourselves some honest and tough questions:
Where, or in what, does my identity
and my security lay?
and my security lay?
What things in my life should I be letting go of?
What can I learn from this experience,
both about myself, my character, my actions,
my words, my relationships, my priorities -
but also about the world around me?
but also about the world around me?
One thing my faith, as a Christian, has taught me over the past 34 years, is that the God I believe in is a God of Redemption. Whatever situations or circumstances I find myself in they can be redeemed and made better, more positive ... IF I submit myself to God's way of doing things.Asking the questions posed above can make the significant difference between our being either REFINED or DEFINED by a situation.
So, what about me? What am I to learn from this dreadful season in which we are all living? Where does my security lie? Truly in God - or in my role, my achievements, my abilities, my relationships, my bank balance. Am I truly secure and content when so much is striped away? I suspect the honest answer is, not as secure as I'd like to admit. Yet, I know this ... I want this strange season to REFINE and not DEFINE me. 
When I come out of this, I want my relationships to be stronger, more meaningful. I want to prioritise time with those who help to feed my soul and my spirit. I want my words and my actions to have more purpose. I want to let go of the useless and the meaningless and truly live my life in the Light of Eternity. I want my role, my ministry, to be re-affirmed and re-defined in such a way as to be of greater eternal value. I no longer want to walk in the fear of man, or fear of the future. I want to walk the path set before me with a greater boldness and purpose that comes only from God and not on my reliance upon my own gifts and abilities.
What about you? In what ways do you wish this time to change and mold you in to a better person?
(1) Rev. James Martin
(2) Bible references:
Exodus 15:22 - 18:27; Matthew 3; Matthew 4:1-11
(3) Stress Awareness Month - Quote me Happy
Dated 21.04.20
Dated 21.04.20
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