Stress
(Philippians 4:4-7 April 30th, 2003)
“I am finally in peace after paying off my debt of 28 years.” That was the words of JungJa Kwon, a Daegu resident who couldn’t pay off her debt and had to live with it for half her life. The hospital fee was 50,000 Won, and in 28 years, she paid the debt in 20 times in the price of 100,000 Won.
On June of 1975 she tried to get her son into hospital after he had suffered burns, but she did not have the money for the surgery, and was crying out in the hallway. When the chief of the hospital, Howard Moffett (91, currently resides in Florida) helped and after 25 days of hospital stay, was fully recovered. When she was invited by the chief of the hospital to speak, she had told everyone in the hospital, “I was in such a debt with the hospital that I would have to pass around Dong-San Hospital” and she was crying. She was an honest and sincere person, even if suffering from stress from not being able to pay her debt in 28 years.
As I have worked as the superintendant of the Korean District, I have seen many of my co-workers working with passion and in their lives but sometimes when there is a life-threatening situation, there is no medical insurance, and it makes me sad to see them suffer. I worry sometimes that many of them are overworked and stressed to worry about their ministry. I pray and hope that at least some the church would help and to take care of the pastor and their families working there.
As modern as the world is, in families or in person, many people are now living in the “The Age of Anxiety” Anxiety is the very possibility something negative may happen, but do not really happen, but in the fear of “it” happening, and are shaken. It not only affects the mind and the heart, but the whole body as well. One doctor had told me that pastor’s and their wives have worse health problems than the average person. I think it is from the stress and overwork from their ministries.
For a normal person to have a lot of stress and anxiety, their digestion is bad, easily catches cold, and is often sick. Stress hormones like Adrenaline or Noradrenalin can be poisonous to the body if too much of it is released within and can make the heart go bad and age faster.
Every pastor has a solution to break this chain. Have a vacation, read a book or enjoy music, or even regularly working out. Some even find peace when they go and pray in the prayer mountain. As I worked as the superintendant, I used to be stressed and would be indecisive about how my planning of my routine would go through. Such as when a sudden request is made by another pastor, attending every superintendants’ meetings, doing a request from the denomination headquarters, or from the churches’ requests, and finally even the preparation for district annual meeting, and pastors’ extended education meeting…
I was blessed from having a great lecturer in this year’s pastors’ extended learning. I had hoped that the other pastors’ had felt that way. But I had noticed only a handful of pastors had sent me airplane schedules to be picked up along with their request forms. I was in difficult situation. But as I called many of the pastors again and again, I noticed many of them had said “something had come up” and I felt discouraged. But at least I had expected about 85% of the pastors to show up.
My stress relief mechanics is fairly simple. I would pray for what is happening now, and for the things to come. Then I make as many opportunities as I can to laugh, and then finally I would try my best to be thankful to all those who had helped. Looking for the positive rather than of the negatives, and I would look for the positive to grow them out. Once this is achieved, then I would finally be happy and praise our Lord for it.
I always try to push away the negatives of unbelief, anxiety and indecisiveness and hold on to the Lord’s Promises and meditate on the Word, so that the Lord would give me the peace and to overcome all those. Whenever I am in difficult situation, anxious or is in bad situation, I meditate this verse.
“Rejoice in the LORD always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The LORD is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God. And the peace of God, which transcended all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:4-7)
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To Fly Over 
Stress