The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge . . . 2 Samuel 22:2-3
I’ve heard of those people who, when stressed, stop eating. I can’t eat at a time like this. That’s not me. I eat my feelings. Last October, when I missed a CrossFit competition due to an illness, I was despondent. I know that’s dramatic, but I’d been training for months for that competition and when it was suddenly taken away, I felt significant loss. There were a few other tragic events in the lives of those around me at the time that put my loss into perspective, so I accepted it, and I thought I moved on. I proceeded, however, to eat my way through October, November, and December. It was the perfect storm of melancholy and loss of motivation, which I dealt with by indulging in the immediate gratification of food. Then, when my next competition came around a few months later, I found myself 15 pounds overweight. Stress eating provided some fleeting relief from my gloom but it didn’t actually address my emotional needs, and it left me with a significant price to pay later.
We all have coping mechanisms to which we turn when stressed. For some of us we turn to food. For others, it’s alcohol, sex, or even shopping. In today’s passage however, King David illustrated an appropriate and healthy response to life’s trials. In the story, Israel was attacked by the Philistines who sent four giants to kill David. Though he’d once fought Goliath single-handedly, he was no young man anymore. As David aged, younger, stronger warriors had to step in to fight for him. After, having been delivered from his enemies, David declared that God was his salvation. Under tremendous stress, David turned to God. He could have sought temporary relief in alcohol or sex, but instead, he responded in a healthy manner, seeking comfort and refuge in God.
In any trial, it should be my first response to go to God, seeking his comfort, protection, and guidance. When I do this, I find peace, but that peace is not always as tangible as the temporary gratification of a donut. The donut (or the drug, sex, or shopping) is just so much quicker and easier. Donut relief, however, is short-lived, comes with a price to pay later, and doesn’t actually do anything to address my problems. So, my daily challenge is to consider my response to life’s stressors. Is this a healthy or unhealthy response? I must learn to take every trial to God, seeking his comfort, protection, and guidance. It is absurd, of course, to try and find salvation in a donut.