Kroner Ministries: equipping the saints for the work of the minsitry

There are several versions of this story, all with slight variations. The point, however, is the same no matter the culture. Enjoy!

A boat docked in a tiny Mexican village. An American tourist complimented the Mexican fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took him to catch them.

“Not very long,” answered the Mexican. “But then, why didn’t you stay out longer and catch more?” asked the American. The Mexican explained that his small catch was sufficient to meet his needs and those of his family.

The American asked, “But what do you do with the rest of your time?” “I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, and take a siesta with my wife. In the evenings, I go into the village to see my friends, play the guitar, and sing a few songs. I have a full life.”

The American interrupted, “I have an MBA from Harvard and I can help you! You should start by fishing longer every day. You can then sell the extra fish you catch. With the extra revenue, you can buy a bigger boat.”

“And after that?” asked the Mexican. “With the extra money the larger boat will bring, you can buy a second one
and a third one and so on until you have an entire fleet of trawlers. Instead of selling your fish to a middle man, you can then negotiate directly with the processing plants and maybe even open your own plant. You
can then leave this little village and move to Mexico City, Los Angeles, or even New York City! From there you can direct your huge new enterprise.”

“How long would that take?” asked the Mexican. “Twenty, perhaps twenty-five years,” replied the American. “And after that?”

 “Afterwards? Well my friend, that’s when it gets really interesting,” answered the American, laughing. “When your business gets really big, you can start buying and selling stocks and make millions!” “Millions? Really? And after that?” asked the Mexican.

“After that you’ll be able to retire, live in a tiny village near the coast, sleep late, play with your children, catch a few fish, take a siesta with your wife and spend your evenings doing what you like and enjoying your friends.”

And the moral of this story is: ……… Know where you’re going in life… you may already be there.

DK

Stress is everywhere and is no respecter of persons. It doesn’t care if you have a million things to do, if you are getting ready to have a baby or move, or if you just can’t take much more and want to beat your head against a wall. That wonderful little pressure comes from our job, our family, our friends, and ourselves. In small amounts it pushes us. Sometimes, even large amounts over short periods of time can drive us toward some accomplishment. But mountains of it over long periods can be crushing to our will and our health.

Thankfully God has a plan to de-stress your life. Its so simple that most people can’t do it…not because it doesn’t work, but because they can’t buy into it. Like someone handing you a blank check and telling you to fill in the amount, God gives us His anti-stress plan and we stand staring at Him like He has feathers for eyebrows.

What is this great plan? I’m so glad you asked!

Ps 55:22- Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you…
1 Peter 5:7- Cast your anxiety (care) on the Lord…
    I like another translation that says here ‘throw the whole of your anxiety upon Him…’

Did you see it, or are those just hopeful words in your stressed out mind? The plan is there: Give your anxiety, cares and stress to Him…and then just stop worrying about it!

Really? That’s it, you say? That’s the best you can come up with? No deep breathing or relaxation techniques? No physical activity or mental methods to go through? Just…what, let it go?

You bet.

It is so simple, as I said, that we miss it. But here, let me give you a story to help illustrate the point of how stress can causes issues if we don’t do just this:

A lecturer was giving a lecture to his students on stress management. He raised a glass of water and asked the audience, ‘How heavy do you think this glass of water is?’ The students gave answers that ranged from 20g to 500mg. After a few moments the lecturer continued: ‘It doesn’t matter the absolute weight. It depends on how long you hold it. If I hold it for a minute, it is OK. If I hold it for an hour, I will have an ache in my arm. If I hold it for a day, you’ll have to call an ambulance. It’s the exact same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes.’

If we have things that cause us stress, having them in our lives to a point don’t really matter. As I said, it can actually motivate us. But if we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later we will not be able to carry on. We weren’t made to carry burdens. Christ carried them for us, and He asks us to trust Him with them.

So, try it out. It’s not that you won’t think about things anymore that cause stress, but when you start giving them to God and reminding yourself that He’s in control even when your life seems out of control, it takes the pressure off. And that can change your whole outlook on life!

DK