Quiet as it’s kept, stress is a silent killer. The dictionary defines stress as “physical, mental, or emotional strain or tension.” The fact is we all suffer from this potentially deadly emotion from time-to-time. Anything that causes stress is called a “stressor” and there are two types; processive and systemic.The processive determines whether we “fight or flight” whereas the Systemic is more physiological. In either case, when we allow the stressors of life to inundate or minds and spirits it can hinder our quality of life emotionally, spiritually, vocationally, physically, mentally, and relationally. We don’t cope with stress rather we mitigate, manage, or eliminate it by yielding our burdens over to Jesus Christ. Jesus offers us great encouragement in John 14:1: “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.” We desperately need Him in our lives. We need Him because He is the only one who can give us the strength to overcome the stressors that adversely impact our lives. I am a repeat offender and often fall victim to these stressors however; I’m getting stronger everyday. Perhaps no passage in Scripture better captures how to handle stress than Philippians 4:6-7: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” The Lord tells us not to be anxious about anything, but rather to yield everything over to Him in prayer. So today, remember we mitigate, manage, or eliminate the stressors in our lives by lifting our burdens and concerns to a holy, caring, loving, gracious, merciful, and righteous God.