If the load we’re carrying is too heavy for us to bear, Jesus didn’t give it to us. Others may have, or we may have taken it upon ourselves, but Jesus had no part in it. He said: ‘Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light’ (vv. 28-30 NIV). The final stress management principle Jesus taught us is: Give your stress to Him. We’ll never enjoy complete peace of mind until we develop a relationship with the Prince of Peace. Jesus didn’t say, ‘Come to Me and I’ll give you more guilt, more burdens, more stress, and more worries,’ even though that’s what a lot of us can begin to think He said. Some people teach that we have to do more and be more, but that only creates pressure rather than relieving it. In essence, Jesus said, ‘I want to give you rest. I’m the stress-reliever. When you get in harmony with Me I’ll give you inner strength.’ Only Jesus can transform our lifestyle from stressful to satisfied. The greatest source of stress comes from trying to live our lives apart from the God who made us, trying to go our own way and be our own god. If we’ve never committed our life to Christ, we need a transformation. We need to give Him our lives with all the stresses and say, ‘Lord, please give me a new life. Replace the pressure I feel with the peace You offer. Help me to follow Your principles of stress management.’

What Now?

If you’re struggling with stress, take a moment to ask God to replace the pressure you feel with the perfect peace He has. Why not have a read of Isaiah 26:3 to guide your prayer time?