the ‘S’ecret Thief
Have you ever had something stolen from you? Perhaps a wallet or a phone? This question may prompt uncomfortable memories of your home being broken into or images of a beautiful sunny morning where you walk outside and your car is missing.
The range of emotions that accompany theft are complicated: anger, violation, sadness, and even sometimes empathy towards the individual that would resort to such means. When we look to the Word of God, there are numerous verses that address thieves and theft. One example is from Proverbs 10:2, “Ill-gotten treasures have no lasting value, but righteousness delivers from death.”
Proverbs 10 is full of generalities and parallelisms, but this particular verse stood out for its broad-reaching application. Have you ever thought of a thief as something other than a person, a thief that you cannot see, nor hear, nor one that breathes? This idea is, honestly, is quite unsettling. A person who is a thief is secretive enough, but what about one you cannot detect?
I have realized the power of ONE specific thief. This thief sneaks in bit by bit, mounting its attack. This thief not only assaults our minds but will attack our physical health and well-being. This ‘S’ecret thief is named STRESS.
Our lives are filled with this thief. Our world is Stress’s playground. Stress is like a hammer, slowly chiseling away and our health. Stress takes a swipe with its hammer- boom- we start getting frequent headaches. Stress takes a second swipe- boom- we start having stomach problems. Stress takes a third swipe- boom- we start eating too much or not eating enough. Stress takes a fourth swipe- boom- we no longer sleep well. And the swipes keep coming, boom- exhaustion, boom- anxiety. Stress’s hammer is extraordinarily powerful and infiltrates our daily lives.
As Christians, our bodies were CREATED. Have you ever stopped to truly meditate on that seemingly simple fact? CREATED! “For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.” (Psalm 139:13-14)
God knitted us together, with love and care. Therefore, it is our job to work to keep our created bodies and minds healthy to the best of our abilities, so that the Lord may use us according to His purpose.
But Stress, our ‘S’ecret thief, is so cunning and prevalent, that we have to fight it each and every day of our lives. Work, family, school, errands, activities, home upkeep, money, relationships, are only a minute glimpse of the daily stress we all face. It almost feels hopeless to try and fight stress. Why don’t we just resign to the fact it is a part of our lives? What’s the point in fighting something that’s everywhere? Will we really win?
Well… the answer is no. We can’t win. No matter how hard we try, we cannot defeat Stress. Because we cannot win a battle that was already won by someone else.
Jesus hung on the cross, facing sin and death in the face. The hammer took a swipe- boom- our Lord Jesus became a nail for us so that we may live an abundant life in Him. He defeated every enemy, by giving His life. He won. And in His final hours, he turned to a lowly thief hanging on a nearby cross. As we read Luke 23, we see the thief/criminal be washed with the blood, “…’Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom’. Then Jesus answered him, ‘I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise’.”
Yes, Jesus defeated even the ‘S’ecret thief called Stress. But he also gave a us a weapon to fight off secret thieves in our lives- prayer. It is our job to protect our health, both mental and physical, with the powerful weapon of prayer. Where prayer is present, Stress has no place. Stress cannot pull up a chair in our minds, hearts, bloodstream, brains, organs… because all of the chairs are taken by the Holy Spirit.
Does that mean that we will never be stressed? I don’t know if that’s possibly in our times today, but what it does mean is that our body, mind, and soul will be filled with God and will not be stolen by a thief of the world. We will have a peace which will triumph over unhealthy stress.
Merideth Tullous is an award-winning children’s author and speaker. Her Christmas book, A Gift To Remember (The Remembering Books) has just recently been awarded the Bronze medal at the Illumination Awards, being recognized in the children’s category of shining the light on Christian literature. Merideth is a mother, wife, fine arts educator and works in a local school Her most recent book, MOOSHEGAGA, was just published and was written to inspire children to pick up their pencils and find the joy in writing. www.meridethtullous.com
