God is there to help you with stress

School vacation days are numbered as we enter into the month of August. Some kids are frantically trying to fit in just one or two more special events and make the most of the time before they are ?imprisoned? in the classroom. Other eager beavers are counting the days ?til school starts, and can hardly wait for the doors to open. Parents? Well, their patience may be right on the brink of depletion.

Kids aren?t the only source of stress in our lives. Caring for a parent or another special family member or friend who is living in residential care is tough duty. It often leaves us feeling frazzled, uncertain about decisions that need to be made, even downright lonely when we begin to think that no one else understands what we are going through. It is a time when it is easy to spend less time with friends or favorite stress-reducing activities because we are trying to spend more time with the one we love who has demands on us that are new and different than what they have been before.

The letter to the Hebrews (10:23-25) offers some advice that may be helpful at times like these. ?Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who has promised is faithful. And let us consider how to encourage one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together.?

Going it alone can add to the stress ? sharing the load with friends, other family members, your pastor, or others can make the road a little smoother. Laughing at the funny (even the ridiculous!!) can help too. And knowing that God is always there to listen to what is on your heart is the best gift of all.