How do you prevent yourself from being irritable? Lower your stress level by allowing more time for yourself to relax and enjoy the pleasures of life, exercise regularly, eat healthy, and, most importantly, set aside time each day to bask in God's presence and meditate on His Word — just like my kitten, Osha, who basks in the warmth of the sunbeams that falls on my bed.
"I don't have the time to do all that," you might say.
Well, even if you don't, not to worry — you'll eventually have lots of time when you get sick from prolonged stress. An overload of constant stress in your life can throw your body into a chemical imbalance that results in clinical depression and anxiety. Stress can also cause diseases such as strokes, heart attacks, migraines, ulcers, chronic fatigue, and lower immune systems, contributing to many types of cancer.
But even worse, if you are irritable, responding to people with out-of-control anger, barking out orders, and treating people disrespectfully, then you're ruining God's testimony by hurting others.
The Bible says we are not to put any kind of stumbling block in a person's path, so that our ministry will not be discredited.
"We put no stumbling block in anyone's path,
so that our ministry will not be discredited."
2 Corinthians 6:3 (NIV)
In other words, it's imperative that we lower our stress levels so that our actions and words do not hurt fellow brothers and sisters, which might cause them to stumble, and which ruin our testimony as servants of Christ.
Make the time to de stress!
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