What Is a Biblical Response to Stress - Coursework Example

Managing Stress as Christians October 23, Managing Stress as Christians Stress plays a role in the lives of Christians as a source of reflection and a test of faith. Stress can trigger reflection responses from Christians, especially when they think that stress comes from problems that have yet to be fully resolved through Christ. Psalm 118:5-6 says: “In my anguish I cried to the Lord, and he answered by setting me free. The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?” Stress can enhance the ability to live for Jesus Christ when people learn to yield to God’s plans during situations that they cannot control or change.

An example is feeling stress from work because of a micro-managing supervisor. The employee cannot leave his job though because he does not have job alternatives yet. Instead of stressing, he realizes that God is bigger than his anxiety, so he chooses to live for Christ and not for stress. Some Christians might also see stress as a way of being tested because it helps them become more aware of stress means for their Christian lives (Der Peter Pan et al., 2012, p. 8). They may become more eager to be Christians who follow God’s teachings because of stressful events in their lives.

Proverbs 16:3 says: “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.” An example is a married woman who feels the stress of being unhappy in her marriage because of her philandering husband and because she feels attracted to another man showing affection for her. Stress may become her test of faith, to help her choose who she wants to be as a Christian. In addition, stress can enhance our contribution to the Body of Christ when we endure suffering and yet manage to remain whole.

An example is a man who loses his entire family to a natural disaster. Despite being emotionally stricken, he endures his pain through faith in God. Stress becomes an opportunity for developing strengths as Christians. Furthermore, Christians can use health psychology interventions to enhance their overall psychological functioning as long as they are aligned with the teachings of God. An example is meditation (Weiten, Dunn, & Hammer, 2012, p. 107). It can be integrated with reading the Scriptures and praying to enhance the effect of the Holy Spirit on the meditation process.

Another example of psychological coping mechanism is positive interpretation. Praying and reading positive statements from the Bible can reduce stress through enabling people to positively interpret negative events in their life without necessarily overlooking the possibility of their contribution in their life stresses (i.e. not being able to say “no” to others and distracting oneself instead of finding solutions to solvable problems). These interventions can uphold Christian beliefs and practices and serve as healthy, Christian coping mechanisms to stress.

ReferencesDer Peter Pan, J., Lee, C., Chang, S., & Jiang, J.K. (2012). Using prayer and scripture in a Christian-based stress-coping support group for church attendances: Implications for professionals. Retrieved from http://www.epc.ntnu.edu.tw/files/writing/2602_c39a46aa.pdfWeiten, W., Dunn, D., & Hammer, E. (2012). Psychology applied to modern life: Adjustment in the 21st century (11th ed.). Stamford, CT: Cengage.