The Weight of Stress
Leon Felt

A lecturer, when explaining stress management to an audience, raised a glass of water and asked, “How heavy is this glass of water?”

Answers called out ranging from 2 to 5 pounds.

The lecturer replied, “The absolute weight doesn’t matter. It depends on how long you try to hold it.”

He continued, “If I hold it for a minute, that’s not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I’ll have an ache in my right arm. If I hold it for a day, you’ll have to call an ambulance. In each case, it’s the same weight. But the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes.

“And that’s the way it is with stress management. If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, as the burden becomes increasingly heavy, we won’t be able to carry on. As with the glass of
water, you have to put it down.”

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light. (Matthew 11:28-30)

Worry is interest paid on trouble before it is due.

From: www.todaysillustrations.com May 2008

The above article, “The Weight of Stress,” is written by Leon Felt. The article was retrieved from www.todaysillustrations.com, where it was published in May of 2008.

The material is most likely copyrighted and should not be reprinted under any other name or author. However, the material may be freely used for personal study or research purposes.