Stress-Free Good Works

In all things, show yourself to be an example of good works.

In your teaching, show integrity, dignity, and sincerity.

(Titus 2:7)

Every weekend in July has been committed to reunions of sorts. We have invitations to gather with family, classmates, community, and friends to celebrate. There was a time in our lives when we would limit such interactions, claiming that we were too busy or coming up with some excuse. However, now we are at a point in our lives where we recognize the importance of celebrating and making sure our son knows his village.

One of the things that I hear most from family and friends is how relaxed I appear. I will be the first to admit that since I left corporate America, I have a sense of peace and purpose that I did not experience in my former work. The pressure to live up to a standard model of success that was never meant for me took a toll on me physically. I laughed when I did a search for studies and articles to support this post and found titles such as “how women experience stress: what the research tells us about feeling anxious or sad,” “chronic stress linked to health problems for middle-aged women,” “stressful jobs could leave women unlucky in love,” and my favorite: “stress decreases attractiveness in women’s faces!" Really? So I am happy to tell my story of being graced to focus on my purposed work, which has allowed me to release stress and to start living my life like it’s golden! Ain’t it funny that the way you feel shows on your face…no reunion is complete without timeless EWF music. I dare you to listen to this song and hold on to stress or sadness (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qiMH6MegYEY)

There are a lot of triggers of stress in the workplace. I started to exhibit signs of stress when I knew it was time to step into the work that I was purposed to do, although I was not committed to do the work. I was doing a job that had a lot of man-made and self-inflicted deadlines, except it had nothing to do with my destiny. When I accepted that all things work for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose, I realized that all of my experiences had prepared me to walk by faith and focus on my good works. Since then, I have a different kind of worry, save I have peace that the work is from the heart, sincere. More importantly, I found balance to relax and celebrate the good times.

Stress is a natural part of life. Sometimes, its purpose is to trigger a need for a change. Can you identify the stressors that you need to release in order to focus on your purposed work and your personal race? Remember, stress bears no remedy for the problems in your life, so while you’re running your race, keep a smiling face! If you like this post and want to catch up on some of my previous discussions, please visit the full Purposed Work blog at http://ltr-latrobe-mfg.blogspot.com/.