Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. Proverbs 3:5

A psychologist walked around a room while teaching stress management to an audience. As she raised a glass of water, everyone expected they’d be asked the “half empty or half full” question. Instead, with a smile on her face, she inquired: “How heavy is this glass of water?”

Answers called out ranged from 8 oz. to 20 oz.

She replied, “The absolute weight doesn’t matter, but my question is: what would happen if I held it up like this for a few minutes?”

“Nothing, really,” called out a man in the class.

“Fair enough,” the psychologist continued. “And what about if I held it up like this for an hour?”

“Your arm would start to ache,” he answered.

“And for a whole day?”

“Your arm could go numb, severe muscle stress, possible paralysis – probably a doctor’s visit!”

“But during all this, did the weight of the glass change?” The class was silent, waiting for the answer. “It depends on how long I hold it. If I hold it for a minute, it’s not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I’ll have an ache in my arm. If I hold it for a day, my arm will feel numb and paralyzed. In each case, the weight of the glass doesn’t change, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes.

“But what should I do to get away from the pain?” she finished.

“Put the down the glass!” shouted a voice from the back.

“Exactly!” exclaimed the psychologist. “The stresses and worries in life are like that glass of water. Think about them for a while and nothing happens. Think about them a bit longer and they begin to hurt. And if you think about them all day long, you will feel paralyzed – incapable of doing anything.”

span style=”font-size:larger;font-style:italic;font-weight:bold”>Remember to put the glass down.