BACK 2 SCHOOL SURVIVAL GUIDE PART 3- Friday, October 19, 2018

This week, we continued our series, "BACK 2 SCHOOL SURVIVAL GUIDE", by focusing on some tips for how to handle stress. A lot of students say that they deal with a lot of stress, but stress doesn't magically disappear when you get older! In fact, you start having to deal with adult problems (like providing for your family, dealing with car or house repairs). Because we'll always have stress in life, it's really important to learn how to manage it in healthy ways. These are some tips that can be a real help to you in school and beyond.

1. TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF

When I was in college, I remember that there were times where we pulled all-nighters, studying for a big exam or test or trying to finish an assignment on time. Students would consume mass quantities of energy drinks or coffee to help them stay awake, they would eat late-night fast food to keep them going, and they would inevitably end up looking like zombies in the morning. Well, as it turns out… all of those things don’t help you! If you read any article about how to deal with stress, they usually all say the same things--- put away your electronic devices at night, eat healthy food, get exercise, avoid drugs or alcohol, and get enough sleep!

In fact—there’s even this REALLY cool time in the Bible where Elijah was REALLY stressed out, and it wasn’t because he had piles of homework…he actually had his life threatened and was being hunted down by soldiers because he was telling people to turn from sin and follow God. Well things got pretty dark for Elijah…so dark that he actually prayed that God would take his life so that he could get some peace… and then 1 Kings 19:5-7 says, “Then he lay down and slept under the tree. But as he was sleeping, an angel touched him and told him, “Get up and eat!” He looked around and there beside his head was some bread baked on hot stones and a jar of water! So he ate and drank and lay down again. Then the angel of the Lord came again and touched him and said, “Get up and eat some more, or the journey ahead will be too much for you.”

This is just amazing. An angel actually hung out with Elijah and made sure that he got enough rest, food and water. The angel even baked him fresh bread! Taking care of yourself is really important!

2. DON’T WORRY

Most of you have heard my story about worry--- I was someone who was LITERALLY sick and had all kinds of crazy medical tests done on me when I was teen because I kept worrying about stuff, and ultimately, the thing that really helped me was reading Matthew 6:27 where it says, “Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?”. I had never thought about that before….but when you worry about something, all it does is keep you focused on that thing that you’re worried about it, and then you just keep worrying about it more and more! But here, Jesus says that WORRYING about stuff doesn’t actually help you! The problem won’t magically go away because you worry about it! It’ll actually just make it seem even bigger and get you more stressed!

3. DON’T PROCRASTINATE

The longer you leave important things, the more stress you'll experience. This is a lesson that I really didn’t learn until college. When I was in college, I made a decision to use my time wisely—that instead of FIRST hanging out with my friends and relaxing, I decided to get stuff done earlier than I had to. If I had study periods or spares, I used those opportunities to get work done! It really drove my friends crazy when they were freaking out because they had left things to the last minute, and I was all relaxed and had spare time because I had finished those assignments days or weeks before they were due.

4. GET SOME SUPPORT

If you’re feeling stressed, it’s important that you have people in your life who can really help and encourage you! Talk to your parents about what you’re dealing with! Surround yourselves with friends who have your back and who are looking out for you!  One of the worst things is to be surrounded by “friends” who actually encourage you to leave stuff until the last minute or who influence you in negative ways--- one of the great things about having Christian friends is that God can use them to be a real help and support to you when you need it the most! I shared about how much I appreciate my wife, Tanya, because there are a lot of times when I’ve been worried about stuff or didn’t know how to best handle a situation and she has always been there to pray for me, to give me wise advice, or to remind me about what the Bible has to say about a situation! That’s the kind of person you want in your corner!

Another way you can surround yourself with support is to know when you need extra help dealing with stuff. Talking to a doctor or seeing a counsellor to help you better handle stress is definitely nothing to be ashamed of. I used to think that NOBODY did that kind of thing because growing up, nobody ever talked about it, but these days, it’s talked about way more openly and I know SO MANY people who get regular counselling or medical help!

5. FIND PEACE & REST IN JESUS

In Matthew 11:28-29, Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light”.

Here, Jesus saying that if we’ve had our sins forgiven and have invited Jesus into our lives--- if we have a friendship with God---we can find peace and rest IN HIM! One of the reasons why I love being a part of CATALYST or being a part of church on Sundays is because it means I’m setting aside specific time to focus on Jesus instead of the stuff I’m worried or stressed about. I’m taking time to invest in my SPIRITUAL health!

In particular, for me, I love getting together and singing worship songs to God! The songs that we sing are full of Bible verses or truths about God and how much he loves us! They shift my focus off of all the stuff I might be worrying about--- and I find that even after a few songs, it feels like my BATTERIES have been recharged! I really feel more rested and less overwhelmed about stuff when I’m spending time with Jesus!

In Phillipians 4:6-7 it says, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand.”.

Here, the Bible is telling us that when we’re stressed, when we’re worried about stuff….when we’re looking for peace and rest, we should talk to God about it--- we should ask him for help….and that, when we do, he’ll even give us a SUPERNATURAL peace!  There’ve been times in my life where I’ve gone through stressful situations, and I’ve had people ask me, “Why aren’t you freaking out right now? How are you handling this so well?”—and the answer is because I have Jesus in my life helping me and giving me the strength to get through—I’m not carrying the heavy burden all by myself! I can experience peace in situations that would normally have me losing my hair!

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR HOME

1. Talk to your teen about things in their lives that are stressful for them.

2. What are one or two tips that Pastor Ben shared that your teen thinks would REALLY help them better manage their stress?

3. Share a time when you've experienced the peace and rest that Jesus gives in the midst of a stressful situation.

4. Take some time to pray for your teen. Encourage them to come to you when they're stressed or are having a hard time dealing with things. Encourage them to take care of themselves physically and spiritually, so they will be better equipped to handle stress.