Doctor's Orders: Rest

Alright folks. It's time. Here it is, in the flesh (well, in the pixels): the last post about being so stressed out. Now, I know what you're all thinking "But Christopher, we love hearing you complain so much! What will we do without your whiny posts about how terrible your life is?" I promise you all, you'll be able to survive without my excessive immature complaints. So why am I trying to get away from talking about stress? Well, there are a number of reasons. The largest being that talking about stress stresses me out. Unfortunate, isn't it? So instead of focusing on the stress. I've chosen to focus on something else.

Last night I told you all that I was going to be going to the doctor's soon to deal with my stress. Of course, I meant this metaphorically since I didn't actually go to the doctor's office to deal with my stress (although that is a valid option). But just like when our bodies are in pain we go to someone who has dedicated their life to studying and understanding the human body, when stressed it is wise to seek counsel from the one who understands our stress the best. Of course, I'm talking about Jesus.

See, when I'm super stressed, there's a few verses that come to mind.

For I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength. Philippians 4:13
Be still and know I am God. Psalm 46:10

It's the second one that I have so much trouble with. In such a hectic world, it's difficult to "be still", you know. So, that's what my "doctor's appointment" was about. I had to take time to do something that is very contrary to my typical nature: I had to surrender. See, like a lot of American's, I'm very much a control freak. I like to be in charge of my future, my surroundings, my relationships, my education, everything. I try to do it all and use that first verse as my encouragement, but I'm missing an important part of it.

I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.

I'm trying to do all things, but I'm forgetting that in order to do so, I need God's help. That means I need to give Him complete access into my life. I need to stop trying to control everything and give it to God instead. That doesn't mean that I stop working or getting things done. It just means that I give God complete permission to take over in my life. This can be a scary thing because with God in charge, I have no control over what will happen next, but the reward is well worth it.

Stress wasn't something that I was supposed to live with. It wasn't a burden I was meant to bear. So, I'm giving it to Christ, because He is willing and able to bear it. Not only will He bear it, but He already did. Just like Christ died so I no longer have to live under the curse of sin and death, I'm no longer obligated to live under stress either. So, since Christ has paid the price and bore my stress and sin on the cross, I'll just focus on bearing Him.

Phew. It's good to be done with stress. Such a relief.

I hope you aren't super stressed and that things are going well!
Best of luck in the real world and God Bless,
-XTopher

Stress: Home Remedies

So, I need to be done talking about stress. I've been so focused on stress in these blogs that I've had no escape from it in reality. It's like having a cold that just won't go away: I just need to go to the doctor and get the medicine and be done with it. So that's what we're going to do. But before I share with you the Doctor's Orders, I'd love to let you in on some home remedies for Stressitis.

The first thing you can do to overcome this ailment is avoid getting sick. Don't overbook yourself. Get stuff done immediately, and DON'T PROCRASTINATE. Focus on getting the important thins done and save the fun stuff for when you have time. Keep well rested, and try to avoid getting yourself into things that drain your emotional, mental, or physical energy. 

So, let's say you're already past that point. You've overbooked, or you're overworked, or you have a bunch of things to do and have no idea how you'll find time to do it all. Here are some of the ways I've been taught to survive and thrive in times of stress:

1) Do everything you would do to avoid stress. (Don't procrastinate, don't put more on your plate)

2) Prioritize. What's due first? What's the most important? What will take the longest? Get these things started first.

3) Split it up. Split your work into smaller sections and accomplish each of these throughout the day or the time you have. It doesn't always work to just push through. Take breaks.

4) Limit distractions. Facebook, Instagram, Netflix, texting, etc. are the worst enemies of productivity. Don't try to do both at the same time. It helps me to do work in a "work place" like the library or classroom so I get in to a work mentality.

5) Do something fun. Stress often comes because we have a LOT to do. It can help to take your mind off of the stuff you need to et done and do something that helps remove stress. Go for a jog, play piano, color, lift, go for a drive, talk with friends, etc. Careful: Use these things as ways to limit stress and not cause more.

6) SLEEP. Don't neglect sleep, it just makes us more susceptible to stress. 

But lately I've needed a lot more than a simple home remedy. Like with this cold I'm still battling, I need to swallow my pride and seek out a doctor. In the case of my cold that probably means visiting a clinic (bleh). As for my stress issue, that means seeking out the one who knows my mental state better than any other: Jesus Christ. Tune in tomorrow and I'll fill you in on how that goes and what He prescribes. Maybe it will help you, too.

Until then, 

Best of luck in the real world and God Bless,

-XTopher

Tithing with Time

Have you ever been super duper busy for a super long time? And then one day you get an opportunity to get the things on your list done, and get a ton of stuff done? Isn't that like the greatest feelings in the world!? Well, have you ever thought you had everything done only to discover at 19:00 that you have more to do and you have no time to do it? That's like the worst feeling in the world.

Yeah, that happened today, and I'm still trying to figure out how I'm going to get everything to work out, but I'm trusting God to help me through this. How can I have such faith that God will take care of me and help me with my time? Well, it's because starting tomorrow, I'm going to give Him the first part of my day. 

Here's what I know: God promises that if we give Him the first of our yield (by tithing) that He will bless us in our finances. "Test me in this," He says. I know that one of the reasons God has us do this is to give us a tangible way to show our faith by putting Him first in something so valuable to us. It also gives God an opportunity to bless us in unimaginable ways.

See, God is able to do so much in our lives but He's also a gracious God. If we don't want Him in an area of our lives, He won't force Himself into it even though He wants to. So, when we don't give God permission to enter a certain aspect of our lives by giving Him a piece of it, it's like we're telling Him, "thanks God, but I got this; I don't need any help." I believe this applies to our finances, our time, and even our lives. 

So, I've decided to give God the first part of my day. I don't necessarily have to give home the first part of my day. Just like it's not magical where we pray, it's doesn't matter when we spend time with God, either. I, however, have simply decided to sacrifice a few minutes of sleep as a symbolic reminder to give Christ what rightfully belongs to Him, the first or best of everything I am.

That means I'm getting up early tomorrow. If I'm honest, I'm not excited to get up early. But I am excited to see God take over my time and see how He uses it. So now I'm gonna hit the sack and trust God with a super valuable part of my life: my time. I hope this goes well.

Best of luck in the real world and God Bless,

-XTopher 

Reputation

One of the big things I've been learning lately is how to be me. I've discovered that I have a say in who I am. So, tonight I spent some time jotting down some attributes that I want to posses. When other people look at me, I want them to see a man who works hard, does things to the best of his ability, spends time with God, loves people, and is responsible and courteous. So, those are the things I'm trying to replicate. I just think about what someone who possesses all of those characteristics would do in a specific situation and then do that. Okay, it's not quite that simple. It's going to take some habit breaking and changing some thought patterns, but I've done it before so I can do it again. I'm trusting God to work in me through this to help me become the man He has for me to be.

So, if I'm concerned with how God wants me to be, then why am I focusing on how other people view me? Isn't that like some kind of sin? Allow me to explain what I mean here.

A few years ago I wrote a statement about reputation that I'd love to share with you. In essence, the point I was trying to make is that my reputation is important. I am supposed to be representing God in everything I do. That means that my reputation should be one that reflects who God is. Basically, my reputation needs to be one of Love.

   Reputation is one of the most important things when it comes to this idea of popularity, a principle that justifies one person being better than others (which is ridiculous in my opinion). Now I have been trained to believe that the way people perceive me is independent of who I actually am and that I shouldn't worry about how others see me. However, as an ambassador for God, I am discovering that my REPUTATION is more important than I initially realized. 
     You see, reputation  means that everything I do reflects on everything I am associated with. In turn, everything I am associated with can change my reputation. For example: I am associated with the band, math, speech/drama, and chorus programs at our school. I am also associated with my friends and family. The closer I am associated with those things: the more they affect my reputation. My reputation is an overall quality of my character based on how others see me. This is affected by what I choose to associate myself with as well as the choices I make, words I say, and actions I do. One can have a reputation based on an individual characteristic such as loyalty, or their abilities, their successful-ness, and many other things. The way you manipulate your reputation in turn affects your popularity.
     As a follower of Christ, I must be careful that my reputation is Godly. How do others see me? How do others perceive me? I need to associate myself with things that reflect who I am. Do the activities I am involved in reflect the way I want people to see me? Do the people I let into my life reflect how I want other's to see me? In order to answer that I had to ask myself, How do I want other's to see me? 
    I could be anything. Not even the sky is the limit. I could be popular, I could be the nerd, the quiet one, the quitter, the jerk, the player, the friend. I could be known for my talents, my discoveries, my entertainment, or my character. The problem I have found is that none of these things are eternal qualities. 

This doesn't mean that I put my emphasis in life in getting other people to view me a certain way, and I definitely shouldn't be placing my self worth in whether or not people view me a certain way. However, I know that all of my actions should point people towards Christ. So, that's what I'm going to focus on, with His help.

Let me know what you guys think about reputation and personality! 

Good luck in the real world and God Bless,

-XTopher

 

What I'm learning from Goodbyes

 Sundays are always great days and today has been no exception. Today started off with me getting a ton of homework done (always nice to feel accomplished). Then, I went home for the afternoon and got to hang out with my family before they left for a show. After my parents and sister left for the Civic Center, I had the opportunity to walk my dogs, which I absolutely loved.

When I was a kid, I used to run around my back yard with sticks and beat up all of the imaginary bad guys. I created a lot of characters, then, that I still use in stories I'm writing today. Walking my dogs in the same yard that I have all of those memories in was very poetic and emotional. I am moving in just over a week and this was probably the last chance that I will have to get to spend time in that back yard. Of course, having the opportunity to say goodbye to my childhood play place was super emotional for me (the already over-emotional individual) and I was crying a decent amount. But, upon some self reflection and prayer on my way back to campus this evening I was reminded of that important lesson I'm learning: life is about balance.

One of my natural instincts is to try to keep everything the same in order to preserve the memories. The only other option, in my mind, is to forget the memories and just let things change. Wouldn't you know it, neither of these are super healthy. I need to cherish the memories, and the lessons, and the mistakes I've made in life as I grow, but I don't need to be afraid of the change. All the things I've learned, all the different memories I have at all the different fazes of life, every stupid and awkward moment were essential in helping me become the man I am today. While I want to just sit and wallow in those memories, I need to let them do their job and help me continue to grow.

At the same time, change is good, but it doesn't mean I should abandon certain parts of my past. Just because my family is moving to a new house and things are changing, it doesn't mean I should completely forget all of the memories I made in the old house. In the same way, although I'm getting older and learning new ways to live life, I shouldn't abandon the things that make me me. For example, I used to be a super spontaneous and rambunctious kid. As I've gotten older, I've learned that people often view those kind of people as slightly (very) annoying. So, I've stopped being the energetically positive kid and started taking on a more pessimistic attitude to fit in to the world. I'm realizing now that even though I've learned that it's not always appropriate to be super obnoxious, it doesn't mean I should abandon that part of me to become someone else.

I am me. That's who God made me to be and that's who I want to be. But, I kind of get to define who that is. That's both scary and exciting and I'm loving/hating every minute of it. So, I've decided to be true to who I want to be and not worry about how well I fit into this world. I mean, if we're honest, we all want to be unique. I've discovered that it's very hard to be unique when you're fighting to be normal.

So that's what I'm learning. I've decided to come up with who I want to be: the actions, thoughts, mannerisms, habits, character, and attitude of the man that God has called me to be, and then work on being that.

I hope this has encouraged you guys or made you think in a little bit different way. I hope your lives are going wonderfully!
Best of luck in the real world and God Bless,
-Hanson