Is Too Much Stress making You Sick?

A sign of our times is the volume of people seeking therapy because they are over-stressed by too much change. You might be surprised to know that this malady was first diagnosed in the 1800's (by a Dr. Miller Beard), when industrialization and urbanization were causing people symptoms of fatigue, anxiety, depression, and restlessness. The ailment was labeled “neurasthenia,” an over-taxing of the nervous system. Sound familiar?

But take hope; there is a cure. In fact, the cure has been around for a long time. To the over-stressed and restless throngs, Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are  weary and burdened, and I will cause you to rest” (Matt. 11:28). To the Jewish believers who  had been expelled from Jerusalem and were facing martyrdom, Paul simply said, “Be diligent to enter His Rest” (Heb. 4:11). And centuries later, Augustine rightly said, “You have made us for Yourself, and our hearts are restless until they find rest in You.” The greater our stress, the more we will need “the times of refreshing that come from the presence of the Lord” (Acts 3:19).