Living on Borrowed Time

Today, we have an important message from Jesus Christ that we all need to hear, especially at times like this.

I have been watching updates on the war in Ukraine several times a day this week. I am sure all of us have. We all are concerned about our neighbors and the ramifications of the war.

At the same time, we must learn NOT to let the negative situation affect our minds because it will then affect our health and well-being. After all, we already have had two years of the pandemic. Will the stressful situation ever end?

There are two kinds of stress: acute stress and chronic stress. Acute stress is good for you. It’s like exercising, playing sports, or accomplishing a challenging project. You get stressed out for the moment, but it goes away afterward, and you feel relief.

That kind of stress boosts your strength and vitality. Stress makes your body release cortisol, a hormone that regulates your metabolism to handle stress. However, too much cortisol is not good for the body.

So, prolonged or chronic stress is destructive. According to the medicine, chronic stress or too much cortisol can cause:

• Chronic disease: high blood pressure, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, and other chronic diseases.
• Weight gain: stress can shift metabolism to store fat.
• Lack of energy: it can impact sleep quality and length.
• Difficulty concentrating: chronic stress reduces productivity.
• Impaired immune system: chronic stress can hamper the immune system, making it more difficult to fight infections.
• Inflammation: it causes the body to develop aches and pains.

I used to have all of them, but now I have recovered from almost all of them.

According to recent statistics, about 90% of doctor’s visits have to do with sicknesses stemming from chronic stress. It seems that if Satan cannot make you sin, he will make you stressed.

How do we live in a fallen world and not let it affect our physical, mental, and spiritual well-being? How do we live wisely through trying times? How do we not let our lights grow dim by the force of darkness?

Jesus said you are the light of the world. Then, how do we keep shining in dark times? The negative news will evoke negative thinking, and negative thinking dims our light and weaken our well-being.

If there’s a fast way to switch your mind from negative thinking to positive thinking, would you learn it? We all need it now because we live in an anxious world.

The good news is Jesus has given us a piece of profound wisdom for times like these in today’s scripture lesson. So, let’s begin.