The Stressed Out Christian is typing this message at 11:58pm instead of going to bed. Her normal bedtime is 9:30pm because she knows she has to get up at 5:30am to rush to catch the 6am train to work tomorrow.
The stressed out Christian’s inner monologue is like a really bad infomercial. Racing thoughts just keep repeating until you give in and buy that thing you don’t need for 3 easy payments of $59.99 + shipping and handling. “There are so many things to do and so little time,” they tell themselves.
Here are a few truths/characteristics of and about The Stressed Out Christian:
- Lives in a Constant State of War (constantly battles the self). This is really an unhealthy mental habit. They think about things like what they should be doing, and what others should do but are not, because they’re doing it. It’s a battle between wanting to cry out for help and feeling guilty about letting others down. Shouldn’t we help others as Christians? Shouldn’t we be kind? Self-sacrificing? Yes, but it is not showing others love if you’re doing all these things out of guilt or compulsion, ie- fear. We know that “perfect love casts out all fear.”
- Believes Sleep is a Fantasy. It’s not possible to get a full 8hrs of sleep in the night. Sleep is something that in undeserved or for those who can pull it all together. “I can do it,” they tell themselves, “I just need a few more minutes.” NOT!
- Doesn’t Have Time to Care for… themselves (diet and exercise? More like pizza and HBO Go), friendships, family, co-workers, romantic relationships, etc. If they are not focused on others, then why are they doing all that work? Who is it really for?
- Is Rude. So rude. They find themselves interrupting their own conversations with God. While trying to pray for help, their minds race down a rabbit trail or a laundry list of to-do items. They are not really focused on communicating or receiving God’s peace so much as working themselves up into another anxiety frenzy.
- Has Poor Boundaries. They understand they will face troubles, but know everyday of their life is spent running around, at wit’s end, and it needs to stop. Now. They suffer from having poor boundaries and feel like their life is out of control, pulling them in a million different directions. The need one direction. The Stressed Out Christian needs the courage to stop the madness then recalibrate their life to God’s will. They need to get it together. They need prayer, good counsel, and to read a book. Boundaries by Dr.’s Henry Cloud and John Townsend, is a great place to start.
-F&C
