Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Valeria Davenport Th.D earned her Doctorate degree and Master degree in Biblical Studies at Bryson University. She lived in Vancouver, British Columbia, and eventually moved to Brooks, Alberta, where she met her husband David. Together, they have two children, Angelique and Mathurin. Valeria is currently at work on two other books.

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Stress Can Kill!

iUniverse, Inc.

Contents

Preface.....................................................ixIntroduction................................................xiThe Life Circle.............................................1Worry.......................................................3Reasoning...................................................9Yourself....................................................15Money.......................................................23Obscurity...................................................30Bullying And Our Choice Of Words............................36Strife......................................................42The Joneses.................................................48Go! Go! Go! - Escapism......................................55Fear........................................................62Anger/Depression............................................71A Customized Faith..........................................78Obstacles...................................................87Frustration.................................................93Conclusion..................................................99Prayers.....................................................107Helpful Scriptures..........................................109Recommended Bibles And Other References.....................113Afterword...................................................115About The Author............................................117

Chapter One

I have provided just one of several types of life circles, yet I have found this particular one to be one that shows how and where stressors can infect a person. It also shows how we may identify where we need a tune up. There is no beginning or end to a life circle, but, we do get a few dents in our lives, and it is up to us to make the circle right again and keep it that way. This will take daily work, and I admit that on some days the work is hard, but I know that should I leave the dent unattended, someone will see it and prey on that particular weakness. The consequence of laziness is a weakened circle and an emptier life. That's not something we want to brag about. As you progress through this book, you'll find many references back to your circle which may be slightly different from mine.

Notice that all four parts are connected and rely upon each other for maximum efficiency. My prayer is that you keep your circle strong and sound every day of your life.

WORRY

Like many, I am guilty of this stressor and have paid the price from early on in my life. Worry is a unique emotion in that it can be our own personal reaction to a situation, and it can be passed on to anyone through virtually any media without that person being entirely sure what to worry about. How often have you walked into a room with the TV on, heard the tense voice of the reporter and immediately felt worry? Once we allow this stressor to completely infect us, we easily pass it on to others and in most cases without our knowledge. Of all the contagious stressors, worry seems to be the one that's airborne.

Knowing that worry is so easily and readily contracted, it is not so surprising to see the word "worry" in the Bible from beginning to end.

In 1 Peter 5:7 we read "Casting the whole of your care, [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully" (Amplified Bible).

The Lord sees that we carry our worry like a badge, and He wants us to hand it over to Him, as it is really a coat of evil. I say worry is an evil because it instantly creates fear, which creates more worry, and a deadly spiral is created. I, myself, being a longtime epileptic from a childhood fall, worried about that future day when that last grand mal seizure would come to take me away to heaven. For many years, I lived like a saint in waiting because of my worry. I would hold back on virtually anything long-term because of this status.

Worry is usually attached to the "what if" factor, just as fear is. In fact, worry is a monstrous and sometimes lifelong case of the what-ifs-those deadly stressors that fuel other stressors to give them a stronger effect.

Years ago, I learned to read my palms (a foolish thing to do in retrospect), and yes, worry was created in huge amounts. I played right into the evil one's hands. I chose to live a bitter, tiring and even resentful life foolishly based on what my palms may have said through various lines. I can laugh about it now, but it was not until I benefited from the wisdom of my spiritual director, who showed me how to nurture the fruits of the Holy Spirit within me that I stopped. I am now quite confident that the Lord saved me from myself through that one priest.

Today, I have occasional bouts of worry, but those fruits of the Holy Spirit are still being tended to. When my husband and I got married, we were determined to keep worry out of our home and not pass it on to our kids. Well, the evil one threw plenty of situations at us, yet somehow we kept our worry in check. We still feel though that our kids are off to a great start because of this resolution.

Worry starts and manifests itself inside us. We allow it to enter our inner beings by choice. If we let it, it can hinder our fruits or keep the seeds from being sown in the first place. We cannot reap what we do not sow.

Worry certainly meets the consumption definition of stress. It carries that deadly force that stress in general carries. It has the ability to affect and infect us, yet we still have trouble believing that this little word has such pure negative power. We need to remind ourselves of our own encounters with it. For example, have you ever felt sick for no reason during certain situations like a pending promotion? Have you ever felt emotionally drained? Have you ever felt that certain "I don't know why I'm worried" feeling about something that probably has nothing to do with you?

Unfortunately, worry does not seem to have a real weakness, no chinks in its armor. There's no quick phrase to counter it. "Don't worry" certainly doesn't eliminate it. As I researched for this book by talking to as many people in my church as possible, I noticed the same problem in others. I have found that any real solution to worry requires effort and often multiple attempts before the habit of not worrying takes form and the effects are noticed.

The first part of any solution would have to be goal-setting. This is because worry usually affects the unforeseen, the unexpected, and the unplanned. In my own case, it was the unplanned complications to my pregnancy, which forced me to stop work that started it all. With one less income coming into the family, worry had found a home. We then had to choose what bills to pay and what bills could wait until the next paycheck. This created a stress that was, without my knowing it, changing me and my outlook on paydays. I found my whole attitude had changed, almost to the point where it not only could cost me my life but also the life of my unborn son. Now, I thought that my worry had maxed out when I found myself evacuated to another city to save my pregnancy. I thought, okay, I'm in the right place, all is well. I could not have been more wrong.

Worry had a stronghold,...