Yesterday I was reading some online articles from Time Magazine. One of the featured stories gave a few quick tips on how to handle stress. These tips come from the book Choke, by Sian Beilock, a University of Chicago psychologist. In the book, Beilock explains how stress can cause us to stumble. Beilock even gives guidance on how not to crack under pressure. The writer for Time, Anita Hamilton, highlighted five of the “best” guidelines for performing well under stress.

As I began to read the article, I couldn’t help but crack a wry smile and think, “this should be interesting.”

Now you can click here if you really want to read the article, but let me to save you some time. If you want to perform well under stress, the first thing you want to do is… drum roll please… get rid of all your negative thoughts. It reminds me of a war movie from the early 70s, starring Clint Eastwood, called Kelly’s Heroes. Donald Sutherland plays a character named Oddball, who repeatedly encourages his fellow soldiers to get rid of those “negative waves.” You mean that negative thinking makes it difficult to handle stressful situations! Who woulda thunk it?!

Tip number 2: take a deep breath, clear your mind, and think through the problem at hand. I can hear Mr. Miyagi say, “Breath in through the nose, out through the mouth. Breath in, breath out. Good Daniel-san!”

Tip number 3: Practice going through the stressful situation before it happens. I suppose if you’ve never played an instrument or participated in sports you might not know this one. So for those of us without musical or athletic ability, I think the cliché, “practice makes perfect,” makes the point clear.

Tips 4 and 5 are pretty similar. Number 4: don’t over-think/over-analyze the stressful situation once you have a plan of attack. Number 5: use music to distract you from over-thinking/analyzing it. Apparently, over-thinking a situation isn’t good… is it just me, or did Jesus say something in the Bible about how futile it is to worry (Matthew 6:25-34)?

I bet you could even substitute the music mentioned in tip 5. Can you picture a person in deep meditation, with a spiritual guru leading them in the “Omm” mantra?

Okay, so I’m mocking a bit. I guess if people read the article from Time Magazine and find it helpful, great.

But as Christians we have real solutions, not just tips, to handle the stress of living in a sinful world. First of all, there’s prayer. That’s a staple for the Christian. Of course it’s a staple because God commands us to pray. But the amazing thing is that God attaches his promise to prayer. He promises to hear and answer our requests. He promises to help us in our time of need. St. Peter puts it best when he says, “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7). Our God is not aloof and unconcerned about the stressful situations we face. He does care. He will help.

Most importantly, we have the Word of God—the Bible. The Bible isn’t just a source of information about God. The Bible is described as something “living and active” (Hebrews 4:12). Scripture is a source of power! God is at work in you as you read. Now don’t misunderstand: this isn’t magic. We should not expect to receive God’s blessing through a mindless reading of the words on the page. But God does promise to work through his Word (Isaiah 55:10-11). Doesn’t that call for my careful, thoughtful attention to every word I read in Scripture? And as I read his Word, God promises to provide me with the strength needed for daily life in a stressful world.

Can psychology provide me with tips to handle stressful situations? Yep. Will God ever take away all the stress from my life, this side of heaven? Nope. But do I find a real solution to my stress in Scripture, especially in the cross of Jesus Christ? Thank God, the answer is Amen.