Week 8- Stress Doesn't Have to Define Us

As college aged married and young single adults many of us believe that if we could just get money that the majority of our stress would deplete. Or if we just could get a good job, nice house and get a head start on our family goals life would become picture perfect. However, more often than not that just simply isn’t the case. All those things may help but the test of mortality is not to sail through life rather to go through trials and hardships that will draw us closer to our family and ultimately God. 

Each of us have different stressors in our own life and we each deal with them in significantly different ways. To one person your load of stress may seem a little bit easier while to another person the load that you are caring would cripple them. This brings in the factor of comparison. Ryan Michael Hawks said, “Stop comparing yourself to others. The results of our comparisons are usually inaccurate because we usually match up our worst with their best. In reality, the person we wish we were like probably wishes they were like us.”  

Something that I have dealt with a lot of my life and especially with the friends that I have is feeling so inadequate that my problems are so small compared to theirs and yet I have a much worse attitude or harder time handling it compared to them. These same friends have taught me a very valuable lesson over the years. We are each given personal trials that will test us and cause us to grow stronger each day. We have also gone through different life experiences that make some stress more bearable than others simply because it is not a new feeling to be faced. More or less, it has become a part of their day-to-day life and they have been able to find healthy coping mechanisms. That does not mean the stress is enjoyable or easy for them they have simply found a way for it to not affect their every moment and find times when it is acceptable to deal with it with increased emotions as needed. 

The greatest gift that I have been given is The Atonement of Jesus Christ. With the knowledge of this gift, I know that I am never alone. I ever must deal with the stresses of the world and as I turn to my Savior Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father, I will be given added strength to endure the things that are placed in my path. Some of the biggest stressors have come from my own poor choices and even in those times I am not alone. Knowing that as I am faithful that their help will be there brings great joy and peace to my life. 

Dealing with stresses in a marriage requires open and honest communication as well as love and evolvement of God. I was reading a post on Instagram that said something along the lines of if you want to build a Godly relationship you must first build a relationship with God before the man is even in your life. Along with that another quote states, “In order for a relationship to truly last forever [or endure all things]. Both people need to put God first before anything in their lives.” It takes a partnership to be built with God and love to be able to face the many trials presented to us in this life. Life is not always going to be easy but with Jesus Christ it will always be worth it. God's ways are higher than our ways and he will bless us in our efforts and help us through all things as we turn to him.