I read about a lecturer who, when teaching on stress management, raised a glass of water and asked the audience, “How heavy is this glass of water?” Numerous guesses were suggested.

“What it weighs doesn’t matter,” the lecturer replied. “What matters is how long I hold it. If I hold it for a minute, that’s no problem. If I hold it for an hour, my arm will ache terribly. And if I hold it for a day, I’ll be in real trouble. The longer I hold it the ‘heavier’ it becomes.”

That’s true in life. If we keep working without a break, eventually we will break. And if we keep carrying a burden that is too heavy to bear without doing something about it, sooner or later the burden will break us. Stress needs to be managed—without which it can become a killer.

Like Jesus and his disciples, there are times when we need to come apart and rest a while before we come apart.

Learn to take breaks. Rest a while. Then you will be able to renew your strength and carry on.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank you for the example set by Jesus in that we, too, need to take breaks to be refreshed. Help me to not only hear your advice but accept and put it into practice. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

For further help read, “Turning Stress into Success” online at: Turning Stress into Success: http://tinyurl.com/stress007.

1. Mark 6:31 (NLT).