by Dennis and Barbara Rainey

2 Corinthians 11:27,28
I have beenin hunger and thirst, often without food.Apart from such external things, there is the daily pressure upon me of concern for all the churches.

Does pressure ever get to you? It gets to me. Let me share a slice of our lives that I recorded in my journal several years ago:

A plumber has just informed me our house could explode any minute because of a faulty gas line. A corner of the wallpaper is peeling above the shower. On the way to work I hit every red light possible and arrived late. As I entered my office, an associate informed me of two urgent situations needing immediate decisions. A three-inch pile of unanswered letters on my desk cries out for attentionpressure. Barbara is on the phone needing a decision from me on refinishing our hardwood floors: What color of stain should we use? When should the floor man come? Should we do the kids closet?

As if that wasnt enough, after being on the road for eight weeks, all six of us were leaving in 24 hours for a family camp in California where I was scheduled to speak.

That day, Barbara started sneezing. Ashley and Samuel chorused in, and by midnight half of the Rainey Zoo suffered from asthma. In less than eight hours we were to leave for camp. We prayed about canceling.

The next morning the lawn still needed mowing, the kids were still sick and Rebecca was crying for Cheerios. Leaving for the airport, the phone rang as we locked the door, but we had to ignore it or miss our plane. The kids chimed in unison, Could you stop for doughnuts, Daddy? Secretly I thought, Who needs family camp, hardwood floors or doughnuts?

The apostle Paul allowed God to use the pressure he faced to make him stronger, much like pressure transforms coal into diamonds.

The question is: Do we allow God to use pressure to transform us?

Prayer:

Take the time just to sit quietly and meditate on Gods peace. Then pray His power will help you transform stress into strength.

Discuss: Can you recall a scene like that above, when all sorts of pressures seemed to pile up at once? What situations cause the most pressure for you?

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