What does it mean when you find yourself saying or thinking—”I cannot take this anymore?”
All of us have been there, yet these words do not mean the same thing to everyone. People reach their breaking point in different ways and if you dig deep enough, you will discover how stress plays an important role in getting us to our breaking point. Stress is a part of life. If you do not have any stress in your life, I would like to suggest that you are probably dead.
We all need a certain amount of stress in our lives to accomplish any thing. Stress is what gives you the energy, effort, and ability to actually accomplish things. We all know that too much stress is bad for you. Sometimes you are stressed to the breaking point. You are stressed to the point you feel like, “I am ready to pop. I am going to explode. I am going to fall apart.”
Fortunately for us, The Apostle Paul was familiar with stress and he writes about it in 2 Corinthians 1:8. He writes:
I think you ought to know about the troubles we went through. We were crushed and completely overwhelmed [that means stressed to the breaking point and we thought we would never live through it.
Paul knew a great deal about trouble. Being a follower of Christ does not exempt a person from pressure, stress, and depression. Many believers believe Christians should never be depressed. But here Paul—a champion of the early church—was dealing with that very problem. In Paul’s case, pressure came with the territory of discipleship. He candidly wrote that the pressure was so great that at times, he despaired of life itself (2 Corinthians 1:8). Evidently, he wondered if he would even escape the vise-grip of opposition.
Today, I want us to look at, What do you do when you are stressed and stretched to the breaking point. When you are at your breaking point, the Bible says you tell God (and a trusted friend) exactly how you feel.
Tell God (and a Trusted Friend) What Stresses You
Stress creates all kinds of negative emotions in our lives. It creates anxiety, worry, fear, guilt, shame, and depression. When we are under stress, the most common thing we do is bury it deep within the recesses of our soul.
Consequently, we have mastered the art of being, as Rick Warren says, “professional stuffers.” No matter how you feel, you suppress it, pretending it is not there. You wear a mask and ignore the pain. Some think that this is the Christian way to handle it and that it makes you more spiritual.
What God Really Wants
Is that really what God wants? Does God want you to feel one way and act another? No, of course not. God wants you to be real. God understands those emotions. He created you and gave you the ability to feel those things.
God wants you to own up to your emotions and frustrations. He wants you to express them to Him. The Bible says in Psalms 62:8:
Pour out your heart to God, for He is our refuge.
That means just lay it all on the line. God, here it is! Here is how I feel, the good, the bad, and the ugly. I am stressed, frustrated, irritated, angry, and perhaps depressed.
Whatever you are feeling, the Bible says, “Pour out your heart to God.” If you do not deal with how you feel right now, you will eventually. Feelings and frustrations pile up and eventually you are going to pop. So what do you do? How do you deal with how you feel? You do not suppress it, ignore it, deny it, pretend it does not exist, or wear masks. God says, “Release it. Tell Me about it. Pour out to Me.” He wants you to take time and talk to Him because He can do something about it.
So, what do you do when you are at your breaking point? Share your answer in the comments section below or on Facebook, LinkedIn, or Twitter.
