The Stress Test

A couple of years ago when I was first diagnosed with diabetes, my doctor sent me to have a cardiac stress test, in part because one of the biggest complications of diabetes is heart disease and in part because of my family history (heart disease has been prevalent in my family in a big way for many, many years). I had never had a stress test before, and considering how out of shape I was at the time, it was not a pleasant experience to say the least. This is the dictionary definition of a cardiac stress test: "Cardiac stress tests compare the coronary circulation while the patient is at rest with the same patient's circulation observed during maximum physical exertion, showing any abnormal blood flow to the heart's muscle tissue (the myocardium). The results can be interpreted as a reflection on the general physical condition of the test patient." Now here's my personal definition: "The patient has a bunch of wires taped to his or her chest and is forced to walk/run on a treadmill until it feels as though the heart is about to burst." If you've never had a stress test, trust me ... they are definitely stressful.

I've come to understand that constant, ongoing stress can do many things to the body, not to mention the sheer havoc it can wreak upon a person's mind. I'm amazed that considering the level of stress that many people are under in today's world, more folks aren't having stress-induced strokes and heart attacks ... and I'm really amazed that there aren't folks on every corner having complete mental breakdowns. Worries about the uncertain economy, stretched-too-thin feelings of busy lives, emotional upheaval from broken or wounded relationships, expectations from employers trying to do more work with less people ... those all add up to stress plus stress plus more stress. And all that stress? It's a recipe for failure at some point; no one can hold up under tremendous stress forever ... eventually we all break under the pressure at some point. Though it may not be a break that is visible to others looking in from the outside, even the hardest stone can be crushed if enough force is applied.

Most people don't have a clue how stressful my job as a senior editor can be ... they think, oh how cool that you work for an advertising agency. They don't understand that there are non-stop, quick turnaround deadlines or that if I don't catch an error or make a mistake in editing and a piece goes to print, it can literally cost hundreds of thousands of dollars if the ad has to be reprinted. There are times when I wake in the night worried that I failed to put a copyright on something or that I didn't get the correct chemical name with its corresponding product. Recently, I've been dreaming a lot about work, especially on nights following especially stressful days. Having said that, I wouldn't be at all surprised if my dreams tonight are filled with work-related scenarios because today was high-pressure in a big way.

I was thinking this evening as I got my things out of the car about stress tests ... those of the body, but also those of the mind. I've realized something lately, something about stress and pressure. I can never pass those kinds of tests under my own power or by my own determination or will. If I try, I will always crack ... I will always crumble ... I will always fail. The only way I can pass the tests of stress is if I rely on the One who is greater than all things and stronger than any pressure.

"My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; He is mine forever." Psalm 73: 26.