Someone recently shared this little recipe with me and thought I would pass it along.

THE STRESS DIET

Breakfast
1/2 grapefruit
1 piece whole-wheat toast
8 oz. skim milk

Lunch
4 oz. lean broiled chicken breast
1 cup steamed zucchini
1 Oreo cookie
Herb tea

Midafternoon Snack
Rest of the package of Oreo Cookies
1 qt. Rocky Road ice cream
1 jar hot fudge

Dinner
2 loaves garlic bread
1 large mushroom and pepperoni pizza
1 large pitcher root beer
3 Milky Way bars
Entire frozen cheesecake, eaten directly from the freezer

I had to smile when I read this.

What’s funny about this little diet is that breakfast starts out great. Hey, even lunch is good for the most part (one Oreo cookie can’t hurt, right?). However, if you’re not careful, that one little Oreo can lead to a few more until – without realizing it – you've eaten the entire package (along with a few other things in the “junk food” category).

So how do you wage the war on stress and anxiety? This brings to mind something the Apostle Paul says in Philippians 4:4-8:

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. 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. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

Perhaps what the Apostle Paul recommends is that the better recipe to manage stress could be the following:

Breakfast
A healthy portion of “Rejoice in the Lord always. I'll say it again, rejoice.”

Lunch
A daily practice of “Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near.”

Midafternoon Snack
As the day winds down, remember: “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.”

Dinner
As the sun sets, make a note: “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”

Imagine how our days would look if we intentionally set our tables with praise, prayer and trust in God’s provision! According to Paul, the dessert that comes as a result? God’s peace. That, my friends, is a wonderful gift of the Spirit that we all could benefit from.

God’s blessings over you all!

— Mark