stressLast week, I read a blog post about a radio program. The pastor who led this program firmly stated that if you are stressed your faith is weak.  You don’t trust God. If you had faith in God, you would feel no stress whatsoever. The blogger bought into this hook, line, and sinker.

My initial response was somewhat impolite, assuming that you’re a pirate or a gangster.  If you’re a regular person, my response was pretty darn rude.

You see, my father fell and hit his head this week.  It took 15 staples to close the wound, he was in the hospital for several days and he will probably never live in his own home again. Then he got to move to a skilled nursing facility.  And they’ve already moved him from one room to another.  All in four days.

I have stress, but I also have faith.  God watched over Dad this whole time.  The fall could easily have killed him.  He couldn’t get up but he fell within sight of the front door.  The mail carrier saw him.  If he had fallen somewhere else, some when else, he would have been in real trouble.  And he has finally admitted that he can’t safely live at home.  Blessings all, and I know who to credit with these blessings.  God.

But I’m still stressed.  I’m a hardcore introvert who has been at the hospital a lot.  The hospital social worker seems to think that telling me I need to get x y and z information so she can get Dad transferred will make me feel empowered even if she proceeds without it. And then there are the phone calls at odd hours from family members, extroverts all, who simply must speak to me although they already know as much as I can tell them.

I have stress.  I am stressed.  But I also have God and I know he’s given me what I need to handle this particular batch of stress.  The social worker, God bless her, is now dealing with my social worker sister. The extroverts?  My husband and son are running interference.

I’ve managed to spend a bit of time this morning reading (for pleasure!), knitting, and praying.  Of course, I’m praying.  It helps me feel connected to God, and, when I can take a few moments to breathe and simply be, I feel His Peace seeping in.

I have stress.  I feel stressed.  But I’m not going to let someone guilt trip me about it, because I also have faith that God is by my side.

–SueBE