How the Bible Teaches Us to Reframe Stress and Suffering as Opportunities for Growth

Psychologists are now realizing a powerful truth: how you perceive the stress + suffering in your life matters.

But the Bible has been speaking this truth for years.

When we are burnt out, stressed out, + suffering, it is easy to develop tunnel vision and think we are alone, that all stress is bad, should be avoided, and feared because it is destroying our bodies. But the truth is, stress is inevitable and exposure to it can actually be good for us + build resilience.

Viewing all stress as bad + seeking to avoid it, in my opinion, is a tactic of satan. He wants you isolated, distracted by your own pain, resentful, + fearful rather than secure, empathetic, confident, thriving in community + being nourished by co-regulation.

The answer is not to seek to avoid all stressors, compare yours to others, or sweep it under the rug + say “ope that’s life...” It is to realize the truth: stress + suffering will always exist, and while it is true that allowing yourself to stay in a chronic state of stress or spiritually bypassing yourself will destroy your mind, body, + spirit, it is also true that seeking to live in a bubble + attempting to avoid risk + stress completely can ultimately harm you + inhibit growth. Resilience happens with reframing + preparation with coping systems in place to support our mind, body, + spirit.

Scripture says:

Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.

and...

...we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

Romans 5:3-5

Standing firm in our faith is part of building resilience. Realizing that suffering is universal and not just unique to us, and trusting that it is part of building our character is how we reframe it + avoid resentment. Attempting to live in a bubble, (or attempting to keep loved ones in one), or thinking our suffering is worse than others is not healthy + harms us in the long run. Psychologists are actually catching up to this concept.

For example, Psychologist Kelly McGonigal says it is more effective to embrace stress and realize it is inevitable, universal + a collective experience, rather than fear it. If we constantly perceive stress as bad + harmful, it ends up leading to avoidance + failure to pursue opportunities that enable us to grow and learn new skills. In one study on the influence of stress on mindset + growth, participants were given a speech task, and those who had a “stress is beneficial” mindset were more likely to want feedback that could improve their speaking skills.

Those who considered stress to be harmful reduced their exposure to it by choosing not to get feedback, which inhibited their learning and personal growth. Imagine how this can be applied to spiritual growth + how we show up in our home congregations, take risks for the gospel + build relationships? Does the fear of receiving feedback in situations, getting hurt, + how we perceive the stress of the situation keep us isolated, self protecting, and inactive?

How we view stress impacts how we show up in life, the risks we are willing to take, and influences how we respond when we experience suffering + build relationships . Another example of this:

Everyone is hyperfocusing on the negative impact of childhood stressors, but it is also important to consider a review on this topic concluded that “a history of some lifetime adversity actually predicts better outcomes than not only a history of high adversity but also a history of no adversity.” If we are not careful, viewing childhood stress solely as negative can lead to fear, guilt, blame, and shame, rather than be opportunities to tune in, learn what happened, and what it takes to build resilience for next time.

In short, how we perceive stress matters. It is easy to become hyperfocused on all of the negative effects of stress, but let’s not forget about the benefits of stress, like resilience.

A biblical view of stress means understanding it is inevitable and learning how to rebound + build resilience vs seeking to avoid it and live in numbness, fear, blame, or comparison is essential. Part of building resilience also means being in Christ, being in community with other believers, + building up the word of God in our minds because of it’s influence on our conscience and responses. This is the foundation of thriving vs surviving.

Want to learn more about your stress response and how to retrain your thinking through knowledge of your God designed nervous system?

Check out our program Aligned and Renewed.