Have you ever felt completely stressed out? Have you ever felt like leaving everything and walking away from your responsibilities, duties, office, home, finances, church, and even from God? Modern life is full of hassles, deadlines, frustration, and demands, and stress builds up and we sometimes become overwhelmed by these stressors.

If you do not learn how to deal with them, major damage can be done to your health, mood, relationships, and quality of life. It is not the stressors themselves, but the response to them that determines our stress levels. Many people are stressed out because of their response to the slow-growing economy, slow housing recovery, slow recovery of employment, slow improvement in Wall Street, slow spiritual growth, etcetera.

What should we do when we feel overwhelmed? I want to draw attention to a story in the Bible (John 6:1-14, KJV). A crowd of people came to see and hear Jesus and to see Him perform miracles. Evening was approaching fast and Jesus asked a question, “How are we going to feed this multitude? Where can we go to buy bread to feed them? They are hungry, tired, restless, and stressed out. They deserve to eat something.”

Here is a situation about which every normal person would be stressed and overwhelmed. It is time to have supper with 5,000 men plus women and children. Jesus was concerned about the people and wanted to feed them, but the disciples had no food. There was no restaurant nearby, no Subway, Pizza Hut, or Taco Bell. The situation was very bad and embarrassing. Then Andrew breaks the silence and says “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish.” But how would this feed the multitude?

Jesus orders the people to sit down on the grass. Once the people were seated, Jesus took the loaves, blessed them, and distributed them to the hungry people. He also did the same with the fish. When they all had eaten as much as they wanted, Jesus asked the disciples to gather the leftovers.This is the way Jesus dealt with the overwhelming situation. How do we deal with overwhelming situations that come our way? Allow me to suggest a few simple steps.

1. Sit down. Jesus knew that panic and stress do not solve any problem. Let the people sit down and be comfortable. We need to rest our burdens and problems and life situations for awhile. Take time off; take a break; relax before you take up whatever issue you are struggling with. Take time to pray, meditate, and claim God’s promises.

2. Believe and trust that God has a plan for each one of us. Jesus was testing the faith of the disciples, but He had a plan in mind. God is aware of your needs. God has the power to meet your needs. God will provide. Trust Him in every situation.

3. Start small. Take baby steps before running. The loaves and fish were not much, but a small beginning. Look for your loaves and fish and get started with what you have now. Concerned about personal finances? Start building a small budget now. Concerned about family and relationships? Start with a hug, a kiss, a flower, a kind word. Concerned about employment? Start retraining, studying, and observing the market conditions. God has a plan for you. Seek it.

4. Gather up the leftovers for the next challenge. You probably will overcome the present problem or situation, but the question is, “What will you learn and understand from this experience?” You may learn to be patient, to trust, to believe, and to lean on Jesus more. Whenever you go through a difficult time, you should learn something about how the church, school, community, and how the world out there behaves and operates. Because of that, you can become better a individual and better prepared to face the future.

God will give you what you need when you walk with Him day by day. Remember, you are not alone. The same God who multiplied the loaves and fish 2,000 years ago is with you now. Remind yourself that you are in His loving care and He will take care of you through all your stresses.

Leon Thomassian is the Atlantic Union Conference treasurer and Trust Services director.