Vineyard Morris Plains

From Stressed to Blessed


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Welcome to Part 3 of our 50 Days of Transformation Series! Before we get into the message this morning, let me start with a question:

  • How many of you here have felt a bit stressed out at any point this week?
  • Now, if you haven’t, that’s great! Maybe you woke up this morning completely rested and refreshed
  • You got yourself energetically out of bed… and when you stood in front of your bathroom mirror, all you could think was, “Wow, do I feel good! In fact, I really look good!”
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    Maybe those were a few of your first thoughts this morning. But if they weren’t, then know that you’re not alone.

    • In fact, more and more people today are living their lives feeling far more overwhelmed & exhausted than rested & invigorated.
    • As a society, we’ve found ourselves chronically tired… STRESSED from what seems like an infinite barrage of challenges & complications & ever-increasing responsibilities.
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      And the sad reality is that the presence of stress in our lives is increasing year after year.

      • In fact, 31% of men and 37% of women surveyed claimed to have experienced significant stress last year.
      • That’s up several percentage points for women from the year before and a full 5% more for men.
      • And what are we stressed about? Let me ask you. What do you think came up as the #1 stressor for men & women?
      • Well… 67% said money. 65% said work-related stress; 54% family-related stress; 51% said health; and so on.
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        Of course, not all stress is bad. Feeling a bit stressed from time to time is a natural part of life that actually come with a few benefits.

        • In smaller doses, it can help you meet your deadlines a little more efficiently… It can event help you focus and can help boost memory.
        • It’s also a God-given mechanism that stirs the fight-or-flight response that can help us in emergencies…
        • flooding our bodies with chemicals like adrenaline & cortisol,
        • stimulating laser-like reflexes, for example, so you can jump out of the way of a truck about to hit you.

           

          But, as we all know, too much stress can wreak havoc on our physical health; From weight gain to fatigue to hair loss to muscle pain.

          • And when that stress is chronic, it can weaken the immune system, cause high blood pressure, depression, and even heart disease…
          • And, it can also cause inflammation which can lead any one of a number of auto-immune diseases.
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            And yet, because of how “normal” stress has become, we’re less & less aware of its presence in our lives.

            • But even when we are, we’re
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              Vineyard Morris PlainsBy Vineyard Morris Plains