I Will Hedge Up Her Way. Modern people often write about stress, treating it as the enemy of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. By contrast, instead of stress, per se, classical authors rather write of suffering—affliction, trial, and the Dark Night of the Soul (St. John of the Cross, 1577). But the contemporary attitude prevails over the classical understanding; if we were to be healthier, happier, and better, then we must eliminate stress from our lives.
A common tool, The Holmes-Rahe Life Stress Inventory, which has been useful in clinical settings, helps to gauge a person’s stress in relationship to time and physical health. To the 43 categories of stressful events on the Inventory a numerical value has been assigned, based on extensive polling of counseling patients regarding life-changing events indexed against subsequent health problems. For instance, ranging from greater to lesser stressfulness, “death of spouse” charts 100 points, “divorce” racks up 73 points, “marital separation from mate” tallies 65 points. “Vacation” (13 points), “major holidays” (12 points), and “minor violations of the law such as traffic tickets, jaywalking, and disturbing the peace” (11 points) fill out the bottom of the list. By adding up the points, a stress-per-year quotient is measured against the likelihood of a stress-caused negative impact on physical health. Thus, 150 points or less means a relatively low amount of life change and low likelihood of stress-induced health breakdown, 150-300 points implies a 50% chance of a major health breakdown in the next two years, whereas 300 points or more raises the odds to about 80%.
It is true that hypertension is a predictor of poor health, therefore, go see your doctor if you are hypertensive! But, thinking more generally and abstractly, is stress really the main enemy to a person’s overall health? Could there be any benefit to health caused by increased stress? I can think of at least one biblical character whose life was greatly benefited from an increase of stress that was directly caused by God himself. Gomer’s life, not to mention her marriage, was saved by an increase of stress!
Of
Gomer, God spoke, “Therefore I will hedge up her way with thorns, and I will
build a wall against her, so that she cannot find her paths” (Hos. 2:6). God’s
actions run completely contrary to our modern distaste for stress. He
intentionally increased Gomer’s stress. He added frustration and
disappointment. Gomer sought satisfaction, happiness, and personal expression, but
she was completely wrong, evil, and engaged in deadly behaviors. God mercifully
choked down her options to one: she turned around. Her way forward started by backtracking
to the fork where she left the narrow way. “She shall pursue her lovers but not
overtake them, and she shall seek them but shall not find them. Then she shall
say, ‘I will go and return to my first husband, for it was better for me then
than now’” (Hos. 2:7). By giving the gift of stress, God provided true
life, genuine liberty, and the pursuit of real happiness.