Here’s a part of how I reduce my stress, at the beginning of my day, that you could possibly use to reduce your own.

I woke up this morning and knew that I had a full day in front of me. I had strategy meetings, earlier in the day, with my peers at First Baptist Orlando, and then I was teaching and training all afternoon and the next day, for many of the primary staff there.

The training I was going to do, was the first of its kind for most of the people that would be in my event. I was going to take people through the Life Younique Personal Vision Journey, which is gospel-centered life design.

After ‘getting around’ earlier in the morning… getting ready for my workday. I knew that I had a lot of material that I needed to review before any of my presentations.

So instead of reviewing my presentation material,

the first thing I did was to sit.

I sat down in my favorite chair in my home office. I didn’t do anything at first. I just sat still. Then I asked the Lord what he wanted me to be aware of in these early morning hours.

All of a sudden, I was aware that my body and emotions were feeling tense and anxious. I asked the Lord what was that about.

The impression I immediately received was that I was feeling some stress and anxiety around ‘doing a good job’ in all my presentations later in the day… and that I also wanted to look good at what I was doing.

And that’s when I did it.

I turned to a page in a little moleskin type notebook I keep, and I rehearsed some lines that I’ve written down in recent years. These lines God has had me repeat out loud, at least several times a week before I begin my day.

These lines help anchor me in experiencing what is most true VERSUS believing a series of lies throughout the day.

Would you like to know what those lines where? Here are just a few of them, that I read aloud, from my notebook and reflected on for a few moments.

Here is what this day is asking of me. Here is what is most true about me today: 

  • I’m lavishly loved as I am… I don’t need more approval.
  • I have a sufficient supply for everything I need for this day… I don’t need more assets.
  • I have a unique and meaningful contribution to make today… I don’t need to accomplish more than that.

Serve the moment in front of you today, without taking any of them personal to the ‘upside or downside.’ None of the moments I’ll experience today will make me personally better or worse.  It’s not about me… It’s not all up to me…. It’s about the sovereign moment that God is placing in front of me.

Everything will be okay as soon as you are ok with everything. That’s the only time that everything will be ok.

 As I wake up this morning, I first need to breathe and become aware that I have 24 new hours to live. This is a grace gift of life. Waking up this morning I smile. I vow to live these hours today, deeply, as well as learn to look at the everyone and everything around me with the eyes of compassion of Jesus.

Philippians 2:3-8 Don’t push your way to the front; don’t sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand.

Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all.

When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn’t claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death

How could reciting or reflecting on lines, such as these, help you reduce your stress of the beginning of your day?

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David Loveless
David Loveless is a leadership coach, pastor to pastors and strategic, spiritual advisor to churches and businesses, throughout the world. He is the Co-Founder of "Live True." He previously served as founding pastor of Discovery Church, Orlando, Fl for 29 years. David and his wife Caron are parents of three sons and are the grandparents of their seven delightfully energized children.

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