Stressed? The Three ‘T’ Solution

A recent picture on Facebook had the title ‘Stressed? The Three ‘T’ Solution’. The three ‘T’s were Talk, Thank and Trust. What an amazing summary of our verse for today!

Worry is an action in our mind in response to situations that are out of our immediate control. There’s a problem that we can’t solve. It could be financial, relational, or physical; or, if we’re really worried, all of the above at the same time. We replay the situation over and over in our minds trying to find a way out. We develop alternative plans, and then worry about which one to choose. This leads to more worry, which leads to anxiety, which leads to fear, which affects our sleep, our bodies, our health, our productivity, our relationships and results in more worry. By this time you are STRESSED!

The instruction to not worry but to pray instead seems less than helpful, and could add to the load. I have worry down to an art form, and worry about worrying. Let’s look deeper at the three ‘T’s.

Talk to God
Prayer is simply talking to God. By an act of our will, we choose to take all those racing thoughts, all those concerns and speak them out to God. Maybe it’s easier for you to write them out. Begin your list with: God, this is what I am worried about. Your action of talking to God may have lots of emotion or none at all. That’s OK. First ‘T’ completed!

Thank God for All He’s Done
This doesn’t mean thanking God in advance for what He’s going to do to resolve your problem. It’s an act of remembering what He’s done for you in the past. Remember where He’s provided, where there were answered prayers, where He’s brought comfort in the midst of sorrow, and where relationships were restored. The remembering and thankfulness shows you what God does. That gives you the confidence; the faith to move on to the third ‘T’.

Trust the Promises
You’ve poured out your heart and remembered God’s actions. Faith is growing; faith that there’s a solution, a way out of the torment. You’ve done your part. Now trust and wait. Wait for a minute or an hour. Maybe you have to repeat the steps again, and then again. The promise is that peace will rest on you, and in you. You won’t understand why the anxiety has lifted. Your body will let go of the tension; your headache will dissipate; you will sleep tonight. The solution, or at least the next steps to resolving the problem will be before you.

What is your ‘anything’ today? Talk, Thank and Trust. Your Father wants to bring you peace.