{"id":8665,"date":"2020-11-12T03:00:55","date_gmt":"2020-11-12T07:00:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/askshaunti\/?p=8665"},"modified":"2020-11-11T23:25:12","modified_gmt":"2020-11-12T03:25:12","slug":"what-happens-when-god-interrupts-us-in-the-midst-of-our-stress","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/askshaunti\/2020\/11\/what-happens-when-god-interrupts-us-in-the-midst-of-our-stress\/","title":{"rendered":"What Happens When God Interrupts Us In The Midst Of Our Stress?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\"Shaunti's<\/p>\n

We\u2019re heading into that crazy busy time of year known as the holiday season. And according to the store decorations, the holiday music on the radio, and multiple social media posts of friends putting up their trees before Thanksgiving, we\u2019re already there!<\/p>\n

For a lot of us, though, we\u2019re just not ready for the holidays because it feels like we\u2019re starting the season with our tanks on empty. This year, our levels of fatigue and frustration are\u00a0already<\/em>\u00a0off the charts. So looking at calendars and to-do lists can be\u00a0extra<\/em>\u00a0overwhelming as we gear up for the season ahead. From that perspective, every day holds another mountain to be climbed. And at the end of the day we drop into bed only to do it all over again the next day. Another day, another mountain.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, we are in danger of missing the awe and wonder\u2014the\u00a0joy<\/em>\u2014we\u2019re meant to experience when we get wrapped up in worry over all the details, demands, and tasks that lie before us.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s exactly how I was feeling as I was finishing up a major book project on a deadline a few years ago. All I could see was the mountain of work ahead and the seeming impossibility of finishing it on time. But God stepped into the midst of my stress and anxiety. He had different plans, and an unexpected assignment for me. Every time I think about how God redirected my steps and shifted my focus that evening, I\u2019m reminded that His plans are so much greater than mine.<\/p>\n

I told the story in my latest devotional Find Joy<\/em>: A Devotional Journey To Unshakable Wonder in an Uncertain World<\/em><\/a>, and to encourage you as you face your own<\/em> mountain today, I\u2019d like to share it with you! (It\u2019s just one of a total of sixty days!)<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n

\"Image<\/p>\n

* * *<\/p>\n

An impossible mountain was looming that night, and it was all I could see. After two years of work, I had eight days to finish the most challenging research and book project I\u2019d ever done. The deadline couldn\u2019t be extended again. I was exhausted and discouraged. How on earth was I going to get this done on time?<\/p>\n

Then I got a tearful call from my college-freshman daughter, Morgen, who had just started final exams. She had three finals in the next two days . . . and was suddenly feeling sick and miserable, like a bad cold was starting. The drugstore was closed. What was she to do?<\/p>\n

I prayed for her and suggested she ask if anyone in her dorm had one of those cold remedies that reduce the severity of a cold if you start it quickly. As we hung up, I tried not to let the worry about her overwhelm me. I had a major chapter to finish.<\/p>\n

But something wouldn\u2019t let me start typing. Or, I should say, Someone. I started to feel this crazy sense that I should take a few hours and drive to Morgen\u2019s dorm with some soup, ginger ale, and the medicine she needed.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Image<\/p>\n

I know it sounds horrible that I even wrestled with it, but I did. \u201cBut Lord,\u201d I said, \u201cSurely one of her friends has a cold remedy!\u201d \u201cBut Lord, if I take hours for this, how will I meet the deadline? Our finances for the next year depend on this book being published on time!\u201d<\/p>\n

As if God didn\u2019t know that already.<\/p>\n

And I knew what God was saying. My little girl was feeling miserable. She needed the cold remedy quickly. But more importantly, she needed a hug from mom. So I waved farewell to my mountain, hopped in the car, and went to see my daughter.<\/p>\n

When I got there, she broke into tears again and told me my visit made a huge difference. But I realized it was making a huge difference to me as well. My heart started to feel a sense of simple enjoyment of life that I hadn\u2019t felt in weeks. Funnily enough, it energized me so much that I was able to drive home and finalize that entire key chapter that night.<\/p>\n

Sisters, we can stare at our looming mountain for so long that we take our eyes off of everything else. We lose the big picture. But serving someone else gets us out of ourselves. We are suddenly able to remember that we are the hands and feet of Jesus, serving at His pleasure and willing to be redirected to whichever mountain He chooses that day.<\/p>\n

And when we do, stress is replaced by trust and an expectant eagerness to see how He will work. It brings delight. Allowing God to pull us away from our schedules and use us to serve others allows Him to minister to us, too.<\/p>\n

\"Shaunti<\/p>\n

\n

* Excerpts taken from Shaunti\u2019s newest book,\u00a0Find Joy: A Devotional Journey to Unshakable Wonder in an Uncertain World\u00a0<\/em>from\u00a0iDisciple Publishing<\/a><\/p>\n

Have you already received your copy of\u00a0Find Joy<\/em>? Please leave a book review on\u00a0<\/strong>Amazon<\/strong><\/a>!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Want to know more of the little things that make big differences in your relationships\u2014whether it\u2019s love, parenting, work, or friendships?\u00a0Subscribe for more from Shaunti here<\/b><\/span><\/a>!<\/p>\n

Visit\u00a0www.shaunti.com<\/b><\/span><\/a>\u00a0for more.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Every time I think about how God redirected my steps, I\u2019m reminded that His plans are so much greater than mine.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1684,"featured_media":8683,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,5413],"tags":[5999,6010],"class_list":["post-8665","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","category-women","tag-joy","tag-motherhood"],"yoast_head":"\nWhat Happens When God Interrupts Us In The Midst Of Our Stress?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Every time I think about how God redirected my steps, I\u2019m reminded that His plans are so much greater than mine.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/askshaunti\/2020\/11\/what-happens-when-god-interrupts-us-in-the-midst-of-our-stress\/\" \/>\n<link rel=\"next\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/askshaunti\/2020\/11\/what-happens-when-god-interrupts-us-in-the-midst-of-our-stress\/2\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What Happens When God Interrupts Us In The Midst Of Our Stress?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Every time I think about how God redirected my steps, I\u2019m reminded that His plans are so much greater than mine.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/askshaunti\/2020\/11\/what-happens-when-god-interrupts-us-in-the-midst-of-our-stress\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Ask Shaunti\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-11-12T07:00:55+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2020-11-12T03:25:12+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/392\/2020\/11\/SF_Patheos_20201112_blog1c.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"768\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"512\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Shaunti Feldhahn\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Shaunti Feldhahn\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/askshaunti\/2020\/11\/what-happens-when-god-interrupts-us-in-the-midst-of-our-stress\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/askshaunti\/2020\/11\/what-happens-when-god-interrupts-us-in-the-midst-of-our-stress\/\",\"name\":\"What Happens When God Interrupts Us In The Midst Of Our Stress?\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/askshaunti\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2020-11-12T07:00:55+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-11-12T03:25:12+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/askshaunti\/#\/schema\/person\/b4a7584f5c1d065cf5bb9cc5f34d0f19\"},\"description\":\"Every time I think about how God redirected my steps, I\u2019m reminded that His plans are so much greater than mine.\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/askshaunti\/2020\/11\/what-happens-when-god-interrupts-us-in-the-midst-of-our-stress\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/askshaunti\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/askshaunti\/\",\"name\":\"Ask Shaunti\",\"description\":\"Marriage, Sex, Relationships\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/askshaunti\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/askshaunti\/#\/schema\/person\/b4a7584f5c1d065cf5bb9cc5f34d0f19\",\"name\":\"Shaunti Feldhahn\",\"description\":\"Shaunti Feldhahn is the best-selling author of eye-opening, research-based books about men, women and relationships, including For Women Only, For Men Only, the groundbreaking The Good News About Marriage, and her newest book, Through A Man\u2019s Eyes. 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