LifeIsCopy

We’ve all heard of stress tests.  But what about stress lessons?

High Calling Blogger Robert Hruzek of Middle Zone Musings has asked other bloggers to do a writing project on “What I Learned from Stress.”  So here goes.

Last summer, one of the pipes embedded in my house’s foundation sprang a leak.  I could hear the hiss and flow of water, and at one spot in the kitchen hallway, the floor was hot.  I hired a plumber, but I got the feeling he was somewhat overwhelmed with the job.  Nevertheless, he cut about 9 holes in my walls searching for the problem.  Late one Sunday afternoon, I returned from Laity Lodge and was greeted at my front door by the stench of mildew and wet carpet.  Water dripping from a new pipe behind my washing machine (the latest exploratory surgery by the plumber) had flooded the laundry room, hallway, kitchen, and was rapidly engulfing my den and dining room.  It took over two hours for the plumber and his assistant to suction and mop up all the water.  I told him he was responsible for restoring or replacing the carpet . . . so the next day he showed up with a box of baking soda.  I guess he thought that would do the trick.  At my insistence, he pulled back the carpet, replaced the mat, and had the carpet cleaned professionally.  It took a week, and in the meantime I had 9 holes in my walls and the leak still wasn’t fixed.  My homeowner’s insurance covered nothing.  The water had to be turned off most of the time.  The smell was awful.  I had to sleep at my neighbors’ house.  One morning I stood in her kitchen, literally wringing my hands in stress and distress.

It was all too much.  I called my brother (a professor of management) just to have someone to wail to, and he gave me some great advice.

“Divide all this stress into components,” he said.  “There’s the physical component.  Fire that guy and hire another plumber.  Get your house put back together the way you want it.  There’s the legal component.  Talk to a lawyer about recourse.  There’s the financial component.  Do not worry about money; Dad and I can lend or give you the money.  There’s the emotional component.  Call me anytime and scream all you want.  It will really help if you’ll deal with one component at a time.”

Jesus gave the stress lesson two millennia ago (see below).  And it really helps.

In the end, God provided the money to hire a new plumber, fix the leak, and repair the walls.  One of my kitchen cabinets is a little warped, and the carpet could probably use a few more cleanings, but everything else emerged unscathed.  That’s sort of how I came out.  My faith in insurance companies and plumbers is pretty tarnished, but my faith in God’s provision, my family and friends remains intact.  I’ve begun to learn the lesson of dividing up stressful situations into their components.  

“Accepting someone’s help is as good as giving someone help. This is a large work I’ve called you into, but don’t be overwhelmed by it. It’s best to start small. Give a cool cup of water to someone who is thirsty, for instance. The smallest act of giving or receiving makes you a true apprentice. You won’t lose out on a thing.”  Matthew 10:40, The Message

For more on this topic, go to http://middlezonemusings.com/what-i-learned-from-stress/ 

A recent visit to the Tidewater region of Virginia reminded me of the way people made candles in America’s colonial days:  by dipping string wicks into vats of melted wax, over and over again, with periods of cooling in between to let the layers set.  Eventually, those layers of wax made a nice round candle. 

When I returned to Texas, my pastor preached from Romans about how baptism is a symbol of immersing ourselves in Christ, so that he covers us and surrounds us.  Baptism is a one-time event, but we need to continually be immersed in Christ . . . so he can continue to cover us and surround us.  

Sure, a plain old wick will burn all by itself.  But it would be pitiful as a source of illumination!  To shed any light, it has to be covered by all that rich, fragrant wax.  Layer by layer, between the inevitable periods of cooling, I want to be completely surrounded by Christ. 

My Scottish mother used to sing a little song to my kids: ”Jesus bids us shine with a pure clear light, like a little candle burning in the night; He looks down from heaven to see us shine, you in your small corner, and I in mine.”

May you shine brightly, purely, in your little corner!   

We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.  Romans 6:4

 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.                                                 Matthew 5:16

The first few times I created documents on a personal computer–this would have been in the early 1990s–I was terrified by the ”save” command.  Even when I just checked a document, I thought if I closed it without “saving,” the whole thing would disappear into thin air.  As I sit down to create my first post, I feel just as ignorant and terrified.  (Can you tell I’m a boomer?)  So bear with me; this is a first.