OH! THE PRESSURES OF LIFE!!!

Do you feel them or am I the only one that feels them? Well, I guess what can be worse is trying to pretend like they don’t exist when in truth they do; and the more you try to pretend like they don’t exist, the worse it gets. It is almost like as if they are screaming these words at you ‘how dare you pretend like I don’t exist.” Then I look around me and people have all sorts of pressures; I thought I was pressured until I heard what they had to deal with it. Don’t try to pass on your stress please; we are overwhelmed by ours. It is sad though when one is swallowed up by these pressures and don’t realize it.

I just want us to remember that these are all a normal part of life. Everyone in the world, believers or unbelievers, would at one time or the other be pressured by one thing or the other. It’s just that we all carry them differently also dealing with them differently. You can choose to pretend like they don’t exist when they do indeed exist and need to be dealt with or you can choose to make them the focus of your entire life when they come. None of both options is a good way to deal; we have to acknowledge them learning to cast them on He that knows how to deal with them.

1 Peter 5: 7 - 9 “Give all your worries and cares to God, for He cares about you. Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your Christian brothers and sisters all over the world are going through the same kind of suffering you are.”

The fact that these pressures exist in our lives is nothing to be ashamed of. Sometimes people are even more burdened because they feel compelled to hide them from every one. Whilst it is true that you don’t have to share them with lots of people, it is not a good idea to build your life on hiding them from people. There must be someone you can talk to; not necessarily your ‘best friend forever’, because she may not have the capacity to deal with it, but someone who can take it all in and counsel you correctly. The truth is God is not ashamed of you because you have pressures; it is what you do as a result of the pressures that will determine whether or not He will be ashamed of you. He understands about burdens and bears them. There is no burden ever to be borne by man that God is not able to bear for that man.

2 Corinthians 4: 7 “We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not ourselves.

God deliberately formed us from clay. He placed His treasure in clay that His greatness may be revealed; so He is ever willing to step in to assist us ensuring we don’t break whilst He is working to fix the challenges. You are not made to bear the burden yourself which is why it is pressure. So that it is self-deceit to think you can bear the burden yourself and the cost of that is too high. There is nothing to be ashamed of. It happens to all, male or female, black or white, poor or rich etc. It is what it is – a burden. You can’t pass it on to anyone but to God only.

Psalm 55: 22 “Give your burdens to the Lord, and He will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall.”