McMinnville Seventh-day Adventist Church

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T is for Trust

The last letter in our N-E-W-S-T-A-R-T health acronym stands for trust. What does trust have to do with health? Well, like every other letter in our acronym, the acronym is the answer, so let’s first take a look at the problem.

Stress – it’s killing us! According to the Mayo Clinic, “The long-term activation of the stress-response system – and the subsequent overexposure to cortisol and other stress hormones – can disrupt almost all your body's processes. This puts you at increased risk of numerous health problems, including heart disease, sleep problems, digestive problems, depression, obesity, memory impairment, and worsening of skin conditions, such as eczema. That's why it's so important to learn healthy ways to cope with the stressors in your life.”*

Let’s look at stress from a different angle. The word hints at outside pressures forcing their way into our lives – difficult circumstances, unexpected occurrences – but stress really comes from within. A clearer definition of stress is “worry,” which, according to Dictionary.com, is “to torment with cares, anxieties, etc.; trouble; plague.” Worry – stress – is simply slow suicide from dwelling on what may happen.

We all have legitimate cares. It’s just life. Some worry stems from circumstances of our own making. Some are in our control, and others are not, so how can a person eliminate worry and improve health when we have no control over certain situations?

It’s really rather simple. If we created our situation, it may make sense to worry – that is, worry ourselves – intellectually – back to where we went wrong, and take action to fix the problem. This may mean admitting a mistake not only to ourselves but perhaps to others, as well. That may be really tough, but I find that when I humble myself enough to admit a mistake, the resolution is much faster, smoother, and carries a lot less emotional trauma in the long run. (If you struggle with this, look for an upcoming article on step-by-step conflict resolution.) News & Notes from the McMinnville Seventh-day Adventist Church

But if something is out of our control, worry doesn’t help us; so why do it? The question is so easy to ask, so hard to answer.

As you can see, worry can be either constructive or destructive, and it can kill us. So, what’s the answer? I’m pretty sure that the millionaires I know will not testify that a big bank account relieves stress. (Of course, it must not cause too much stress as no one has passed their millions on to me so they can be stress-free!)

I truly believe the Bible has every answer for life, including stress. It says in Ecclesiastes 4:12 “And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.” Everyone needs someone to love and to give his or her unfailing trust. It’s human nature, even though in this day and age it can seem difficult to find someone truly worthy.

“That’s a pretty negative attitude, isn’t it?” you may ask. Yes, and sadly, no. Sometimes negativity is just reality. The truth is, we are all so fallible. There’s not one of us who hasn’t been let down in some way by a key person in our life, and none of us are innocent of doing the same. It’s just life. The most difficult challenge we face lies in an unbiased choice on our part of whom we should choose to trust, to support us. Few are taught to base their trust on behavior patterns rather than an emotional connection, even though the former is the most reliable measure.

Sometimes the one most worthy of our trust is the one least desirable – the one most contrary to our natural inclinations.

Fortunately, there is One in Whom we can trust. He knows us personally and intimately. “Thou tellest my wanderings: put Thou my tears into Thy bottle: are they not in Thy book?” (Psalms 56:8)

It’s a lot easier to leave the worry in His hands when we know the Creator, the most powerful Being in the universe, is on our side and has our best interest at heart. When we truly trust Him, worry is nearly non-existent. Anything that happens is just another test to grow our character, to show our loyalty.

How do we know we can trust Him? By reading the Bible, we can see that He did everything He said He would do, every time. If His people disregarded Him, they’d go into captivity just as He promised. When they returned to Him, they were freed, just as He promised.

God’s pattern of behavior demonstrates trustworthiness, though trusting Him is often contrary to our natural inclination. Therefore, we have to take the time to get into the Bible, to get to know Him. Stressrelieving trust is not just a random accident.

With His perspective, the trials that cause stress or worry are allowed by Him to teach us cause and effect. Then by acting instead of reacting in future situations, when we apply what we’ve learned, we can stay out of trouble and maybe even bless each other – God’s ultimate goals for our happiness.

Keep in mind that a situation must be impossible before God can work a miracle. Otherwise, it isn’t a miracle. Too often we interfere instead of trusting Him, thwarting His miracle attempts.

Last month the health article was about rest. We learned that to really rest we must have the peace that comes from God, being right with Him, and trusting in Him. When Peter was in prison with execution scheduled for the next morning, an angel appeared to him. He “smote” Peter to awaken him (see Acts 12:6, 7), who was sleeping in perfect, restful peace though his life would end in the morning. There was no worry. That is real trust and true peace!

Even Christ struggled at Gethsemane, among other places, and He resolved every struggle by praying, by spending time with His Father, whom He knew would allow only that which was in His best interest in the long run. This gave Him strength to go forward without worry, to be calm even when tried and beaten before kings and magistrates. No matter what we do, difficult emotions associated with the cares of life will surface, but as we learn to trust in God we can leave our stress and worry in the capable hands of our God and Savior.

Adopting the NEWSTART health plan is a great way to live longer – from ten to fifteen years according to studies by Loma Linda University. I don’t believe it means we just stay alive. NEWSTART (Nutrition, Exercise, Water, Sunshine, Temperance, Air, Rest, Trust) means we can really live!

It’s hard to believe we are so close to the New Year again. Be sure to check back in January for the New Years resolution results. I can’t wait to hear your success stories!

- Cindy Buell