Stress

     In the last few days things have not went right for me. It's not the first time, but life is surviving tribulation. The Great Tribulation, of course, comes at the end in an crescendo, but tribulation waxes and wanes until then. After the Great Tribulation, trials will end. Yes, trials or tribulations are tests of faith.
     Much of my own tribulation is of my own making. When the pecuniary becomes too important, tribulation usually follows. God blessed me often with undeserved profits from my ventures, but when profit-making becomes the motive, then tribulation follows.
     Recently, rather than prospering from my speculations, I have lost on most. Even when they turn out good, the worry is not worth the profit because material prosperity does not lead to contentment. In fact, the quest for prosperity leads to stress.  "The love of money is the root of all evil" (1 Tim 6:1) is perhaps better written, For avarice is the primary reason for all ill-effects (Strong's Dictionary). "Avarice" is the greed for material gain or wealth. What is real gain, then?

For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain (Phil 1:21), and But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ... (Phil 3:7-8)

     Living for and in Christ is gain because there is a reward - eternal life! When we think on all the self-induced stress in life, nothing is important than our eternal well-being. Stress not only ruins the health of people but stresses the soul. While worrying about the things of the world, Christ is neglected. Our "tree" becomes the other one; the one beside the Tree of Life, as people focus on the wrong fruits of the spirit of that "tree."
     I have been stressed all weekend. It is of my own devices. If I was content with the blessings already at hand, and I have been very blessed, then I would not have pursued more gain. In other words, Satan doesn't cause tribulation; he merely offers a choice, and people cause their own tribulation. Serving mammon (wealth) is avarice, and serving two mastes (Luke 16:13), causes stress, although many Christians deny they serve two masters.
     I pray every day that my children remain safe in this world and are saved in the end. I pray often that God will save me in the end, although I know that I do not deserve saving - the true prosperity. Neither do I deserve any material gain. All that I have is by the grace of God. When I cease to trust God, I tamper with my own well-being. Sure, sometimes I win, but even the process of winning gain is stressful. My cousin owns a multi-million dollar company. His success is killing him, and he seems to be aware of that, but continues on anyway. He could live quite comfortably on what he has and retire from stress right now. The pursuit of gain is electing an early death; that is foolish, but we all seem to do it.
     A person I know just lost a son to cancer. As she faces that loss daily, I worry about a few dollars! That is foolish of me because I have been blessed with my children's and grandchildren's health!
     I have another relative who is happy with minimal living conditions. He is happy having little material things nor wealth. He seldom has any sickness issues at all. There are no signs of stress. To be blunt, people elect to be stressful by what is important to them.
      I envisioned Larry and Terri in a big white Jeep rather than a small old Saturn, and desired to have that. Procuring things is stressful. Right now I would be much happier the way things were. Likewise, I am expecting two large shipments of merchandise on which my hope is profitability. It may be gain or it could be loss. Speculation is a gamble, but is the stress worth it? I have concluded that even though I may make a profit, the profit is not worth the stress because stress kills the body and can lead to killing the soul!
     Stress is emotional strain people acquire by doing things outside the ordinary routine. Each day I got up, ran or biked, ate a good meal or two, enjoyed my wife in the comfort of a good home, and went to bed a contented man. Stress demolished that routine! Even with the help of Melatonin, I still awake at 3:00 am reliving what should have been. The more I try not to think on the things of the world, the more sleeplessness I have. Right now, I am really tired, but my stress keeps me awake even though I tell myself that God will take care of me. He will, but maybe not with profitability because "gain" in His Book is eternal life!
     Foolish people kill themselves. The entire Book of Job is tribulation - a great one for Job! Satan knew that people of little faith in God self-destruct. That is the method of the natural man. Job wasn't natural; he didn't depend on himself for prosperity; he depended on God. Job didn't self-destruct and even Satan couldn't kill him. His prosperity was restored by God because Job's thoughts were not on himself but God.
     Like Job, as long as I have the hope of salvation, what more do I need? Just enough nourishment to keep my family and me alive. Anything beyond that is riches that I don't deserve.