I vividly recall the men in our neighborhood gathering every evening after work in a vacant lot next to our house for a game of horseshoes. The pace of life was more relaxed when I was a child. Work was from nine to five, and then it was time to knock off and play a game of horseshoes.
You may not know the game of horseshoes. A U-shaped metal horseshoe is thrown toward a metal stake placed in a sawdust or dirt square about 12 yards away. The player to land his horseshoes closest to the stake is the winner. When a horseshoe encircles the stake, it is called a “ringer.”

It was a perfect time to chat about the day. Each of the men would relate his latest triumphs or woes, or talk about current events. It all went over my head, of course, but I could see they enjoyed it.

All of that disappeared with the advent of TV in the ’50s. As each family bought a TV set, people spent less and less time playing such games as horseshoes. Instead they spent their evenings in front of the new marvel with its flickering black-and-white images.

Did we suddenly become happier once we each owned a TV? I don’t think so. You probably have read the research—how Americans now spend an average of 11 years of their lives watching TV. It seems that with the advent of TV we gained easy entertainment, but lost the art of conversation and having live fun with our loved ones.

We entered the 20th century riding horses; we left it in cars speeding down superhighways and jets soaring through the skies. But has all this speed and technology made us happier? We live in perhaps the most traumatic era that man has ever experienced.

We race from birth to death with hardly time to stop and smell the roses. Do it more, do it better, do it yesterday, get rich quick—or in debt quick. Fast food, fast computers, fast money, fast cars in fast lanes, fast talk in sound bites. “Live fast” seems to be our slogan.

Sometimes we pile so much stress on ourselves in this speedy lifestyle that we find it hard to cope. Sometimes we get under stress and don’t even know it. On a recent trip to the dentist, I found that I had developed cracks in some of my teeth. My dentist explained that stress had apparently caused me to bite and grind my teeth in my sleep. I was unaware that I was doing this.

So what is the cure for stress? We can’t turn back the clock, nor do we necessarily want to. We live in a different world and must adapt. Major studies have been done on the subject of stress alleviation, as inefficiency, lost production, and absenteeism—all of which have been linked to stress in the workplace—sap the economy of billions each year. Some of the practical solutions these studies have come up with seem easy enough to do:

Take up gardening.

De-clutter your home or your work environment.

Give more love and affection, and allow yourself to receive them in return.

Get a massage.

Work on having loving relationships.

Make healthy changes in your diet and exercise, such as drinking less alcohol, cutting down on caffeine, or stopping smoking.

Take a walk, in nature if possible.

Give three sincere compliments at work each day.

Have a good laugh.

Listen to soft music.

Take a mini-vacation.

Pet a pet.

Get a good rest.

All of these practical suggestions are helpful, but finding that “peace that passes all understanding” (Philippians 4:7) takes more. It takes listening for a moment to that still small voice in our hearts, reassuring us that God still loves us in spite of our shortcomings.

Take a moment today to be refreshed in prayer so that you may find rest for your soul. The problems you face will melt away as you experience the awesome love of God. A prophecy about Jesus given shortly before His birth said that He would “guide our feet into the way of peace” (Luke 1:79). May you follow the way He shows you.

C. Peter Van Gorder is a full-time volunteer with the Family International in the Mideast.