Who Is So Stressed She Can’t Think Straight

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.

“PLEASE PUT YOUR SHOES into the sink and your dishes in the closet! I won’t ask again.” My tone was far from patient, and the confusion of my words matched the chaos in my heart. My kids knew what I meant and carried out the understood assignments, but they were feeling the same stress I was.

We had just moved to our fifth house in five years, and we were all ready to be settled. Boxes lined the walls, paint rollers from our first DIY projects in the new space were scattered about, and school was starting in less than a week.

I kept telling myself that if I could get unpacked, we’d have peace. If I could finish my projects, we’d have peace. If I could get the kids to school, my home office set up, and my daily life reestablished, we’d all have peace. I had a good goal. My aim was to find the peace we all craved so deeply. But I was pushing us all toward an ever-moving finish line, convinced that a sense of rest could come only when everything was done.

Maybe you’ve felt the same way. The circumstances that led to your stress may have been different from mine, but perhaps you, too, assumed your peace was dependent on the outcome of your situation. Your anxiety spilled onto those around you, and your pushing actually pulled your family away from peace rather than rushing them toward the rest you all craved.

Every one of us has been in the place where we were so stressed that we couldn’t think straight. But there is an important truth we can remember in moments like these: God has given us the gift of His Spirit, a constant Helper, who is ready to come to our aid at all times. He gives us peace in the middle of life’s unfinished business.

We just need to stop, recenter our hearts on the truth that peace doesn’t come only from finished projects but from the finished work of Jesus on the cross. Jesus made a way for us to have access to His Spirit. He made a way for us to pause in the middle of our most stressful days and shout, “Help!” believing our prayers will be heard. My friend, Jesus is the peace, strength, hope, and wisdom we need for the days ahead. And He is ready to bring to your heart and mind the rest that you desperately crave.

Tonight we pray for the momma who is so stressed that she can’t think straight. Lord, help! That has been her prayer for what seems like weeks. She is desperate for You to step in and help her. She needs peace. She needs hope. She needs a minute to gather her thoughts and come up with a strategy. But mostly, Lord, she needs You. She needs Your love to fill her heart and settle every anxious thought. She needs You to remove the tension gripping her body. She needs You to be everything You are. Help her, Lord.

We ask in Jesus’s name, amen.

Jesus, please help me with . . .