There is Less Stress When You Get the Beginning Right

There is Less Stress When You Get the Beginning Right

The Torah reads, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1:1.

It is a simple yet profound statement. I think fully understanding this statement can remove a lot of our unnecessary stress. One of the reasons so many of us are plagued with worry about work, education, and other daily concerns is because we begin with ourselves as the focus and solution to our needs instead of God. Instead of understanding that it is God that is ultimately responsible for providing everything we assume we are or at least act like it.

No one was created to be their own Creator. This doesn’t mean we shouldn’t take responsibility for doing the best we can with the options we have in life. “Whatever you are capable of doing, do with all your might because there’s no work, thought, knowledge, or wisdom in the grave, which is where you are headed.” Ecclesiastes 9:10n “The desires of the lazy will kill them, because their hands refuse to do anything.” Proverbs 21:25. We do have power to create different situations for ourselves based on choices we make and are encouraged to be wise, but we are not to depend on ourselves as the ultimate source or solution for all of our needs. God is our provider, and without God we can do nothing. While we go about our lives if we remember that the real source of all that we have and will need is God we won’t carry such a heavy burden.

Trying to fulfill the role of the ultimate provider, which only God should have, is not good for our mental health. But we can also make a similar mistake by holding others to expectations that only God can meet, which can destroy relationships. No human should be seen as the source of your heaven or earth. No one can live up to the role of provider the same way God can; to think so is only setting yourself up for disappointment, and is unfair to the other person. While we are to do the best we can for ourselves and others we need to remember that God alone is the one who can make everything work and lean on the Creator to create our lives in the way God deems best instead of depending solely on ourselves or anyone else.

So whatever you need to do, place God’s ability, not yours, at the beginning of your thought process. Don’t think of God simply as a last resort and to turn to Him in prayer when everything else stops working. Let God create your life instead of trying to create everything yourself. If you understand it is God that gives you the ability to do something you can also trust God to help you use it in the correct manner and take care of the circumstances in which you need to use it if you ask. Remembering God at the beginning of your day and at the start of any difficulty stops you from putting undo pressure on yourself (or others) to perform throughout the day and makes things much better. When we stop acting as if we have to take on the role of God in our own lives we can be free to live without all of that unnecessarily stress.

Related Articles

More From Articles

The Forbidden Chapter: Isaiah 53

Isaiah 53 is banned literature in many synagogues and is often omitted from rabbinical training…
The Forbidden Chapter: Isaiah 53
Then Moses Said

Then Moses Said

"Then Moses said, 'I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn.…
Then Moses Said

Creation

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The Spirit of God was hovering over the…
Creation
Power to Change

Power to Change

We all have habits, both good and bad. It's a fact of life. The question is how we can change…
Power to Change
Elisha and Naaman

Elisha and Naaman

Naaman, an army commander of Syria, brought back a young Israelite girl to be a servant after…
Elisha and Naaman

Technically....I'm Still Wrong

“And Abraham journeyed from there to the South, and dwelt between Kadesh and Shur, and stayed…
Technically....I'm Still Wrong

Sinning Animals

Many people may be under the impression that only humans were held accountable for their…
Sinning Animals

Caribbean Connections

The beautiful Bahamas. Stunningly clear turquoise waters; white sandy beaches; sunny days with…
Caribbean Connections

Heaven

Do you ever think about heaven? It is a beautiful place.
Heaven

Elohim

The very first words recorded in the Bible are "In the beginning God created the heavens and…
Elohim

This Too

In the Torah is the amazing story of Joseph, a young, talented fellow who one day ended up…
This Too

Elijah

Around the year 900 BCE, when Israel was not following the Lord, God sent the Jewish prophet…
Elijah

Torah-Caution

"And the LORD said to Moses, 'When you go back to Egypt, see that you do all those wonders…
Torah-Caution

Publish the Menu module to "offcanvas" position. Here you can publish other modules as well.
Learn More.


donation