Homeschool: Clinging to the Rock

Philippians 4:6 Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

How often have I had this verse drilled into my head and heart? I bring my requests to God, endeavor to leave them there and not worry and stew about them. But what guilt it brings when I realize I am suffering from stress-related health problems! Then I beat myself up for letting the stresses of life affect me. Is this the way God meant it to be? I don't think so.


Can a person "be anxious for nothing..." and still be affected physically by the stresses he or she encounters? Does being affected physically by these things necessarily mean I am sinning by being anxious?


Think about the unsheltered tree on the side of the cliff by the ocean. It is beat up daily by the forces of the wind and the rain. Its roots cling to the rock. Its appearance is twisted and gnarled due to the stresses put upon it. The more stress it endures the deeper it sends its roots down to cling to the rock. Physically, it might be short, missing limbs, bent over and not looking all too good. The stresses of life have affected it. But what we don't see is the tree's root system clinging to the rock and becoming stronger and stronger with each gale that hits it.


We may be under a tremendous amount of stress as we home-school our children. We may have stress in other areas of our lives as well. Our bodies can take only so much before stress related diseases and conditions begin to show up. Of course it is important to take measures to do all we can to manage the stress in our lives, but sometimes we just can't do anymore about it. We become like that beat up tree on the cliff side. It's not a sin that our bodies break down under stress. The sin is in being anxious about the stress. That only adds more stress to what we are dealing with. The storms of life will beat you up and possibly break you down physically, but let those storms make you stronger spiritually as you send your roots deeper, clinging to the Solid Rock.