FAMILY MINISTRY: STRESS

Interesting that I would be reading this yellow pages of a book entitled Family Ministry and that there would a big section on stress in families that really caught my attention. 

A good question is posed to the family….what does the family value the most????  You and should carefully answer this and come up with several answers.  If it is the Lord, then what are our families doing to show that value.  Are we teaching about how to have a relationship with God to our children?  Are we keeping our relationship with God healthy and vibrant?  Marriage stress…parenting stress…work stress……Instant stress as we think of what to do.

If it is education, we work hard at helping our children with their homework, communicating with their teachers, or some even homeschool their children in order to spend a great amount of time educating their children themselves.  We even tell our kids that “this is their job they are to focus on”.  But what if a child comes home from school with a failing grade or you get a phone call about behavioral problems?  Instant stress!!

If it is recreation and extracurricular activities, families are covered solid with them these days.  We run to and fro in our minivans to get our kids to art, music, dance, sports, Scouts, etc.  What if we have conflicts with coaches or games or in performances….Instant stress!!

Stress can be created by demands from the environment or from within the family itself.  (Diana Garland, Family Ministry)  You have the power within you to take a look at the stress in our family and make some changes.  Most families don’t want to rock the boat though.  We are afraid to make the changes to reduce the worldly stress in our families today.  When your children leave the nest, it will be too late to “de-stress” then and you have trained them to accept the stressful environment they grew up in as normal. 

Make a list, pray and think over what glorifies God and make some changes now….it’s your family we are talking about.