Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?
Once upon a time, a psychology professor walked into a classroom for a course on principles of stress management with a glass of water. When he started by holding the glass of water high, everyone expected to be asked the “glass half empty or glass half full” question they had heard many times. Instead, with a smile on his face, the professor asked, “How much does this glass of water I’m holding weigh?”
His students shouted answers that varied to several hundreds of grams – as close as possible to the weight of a glass of water.
The professor replied, “From my point of view, the absolute weight of this glass doesn’t matter. It all depends on how long I hold it. If I hold it for a minute or two, this glass is quite light. If I hold it for an hour, the weight might make my arm a little sore. If I held it for an entire day, my arm would likely cramp and feel completely numb and paralyzed, forcing me to drop the glass on the floor. In each case, the weight of the glass does not change, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it feels to me.”
As the disruptive class agreed, he continued, “Your stresses and worries in life are very similar to this glass of water. Think about those things for a while then nothing happens. Think about those things a little longer then you start to hurt a bit. Think about those things all day, then you’ll feel completely numb and paralyzed – unable to do anything else until you drop it.”
Hence it is important to remember to let go of any of your stress and worries. Whatever happens during the day, at least when night falls, put all your weights down. Do not carry it all night and into the following days. If you still felt the weight of yesterday’s stress, that’s a strong sign that it’s time to put down your “glass.”
“We cannot avoid the burdens of life, but we have a choice, as to whether we carry them in on the strength of our own backs or yoke ourselves to our Lord who has promised to get under the load with us and make our burdens light.” – Al Cadenhead
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.“
