How much LCUs you've got?

First Published on Thursday, June 30, 2011 at 10:42am

Here we come, here we go. Life is filled with come and go. 

We're MOVING to a new house (for the 4th time in less than two years)

Talk about adding 25 life change units (LCUs) to the 299-LCUs 'allotment' every year. ;-)

Wondering what am I talking about?

Got this from the seminar on stress (three years ago) by Ptr. Eugene Beck of JARON Int'l Ministries.

Here are some excerpts:

From the study of Dr. Thomas Holmes at the university of Washington, and I quote, "it was concluded that from a strictly human point of view, no person in his own strength could handle 300 or more LCUs in a 12-mo period of time without suffering physically or emotionally within the next two years." 

On the scale that Dr. Holmes developed, he gave the following events in life these life change units:

Death of spouse - 100 LCUs

 Divorce from one's mate - 73 LCUs

 Pregnancy - 40 LCUs

 Remodeling your home - 25

LCUsChristmas - 12 LCUs

Who knows how many units that driving in traffic, work problems, child and teens parenting and the not so good news about an x-ray or lab tests results are worth?

My hubby and I had some refresher discussion on this and we both realized that we're still in the middle of the year of 2011! Ugghh..   Although I am tempted to count my own LCUs, the Lord just brought my focus on the line "no person in his own strength can handle..." that categorically lead us to do something and get some help.  And that brought to mind my life verse,

"I can do all things through Christ Who gives me strength" (Phils 4:13)

I know, mine is so little as compared to those who have been greatly affected by flood in Metro Manila and the countryside.  (The recent of which is in Davao, my home city) and overwhelming and mind-cracking calamities elsewhere.

But we have a great God who is much much greater that all these difficult situations we are in. LCUs may soar up to thousands but who is counting? I'd rather not. My God from WHOM my help comes from is above all these and He will empower us to rise above as well. ;-)

Instead of counting LCUs, my heart choses to count all the blessings in the past, at the moment, and in the future. As my fave hymn goes, "count your blessings, name them one by one".  

This, I think is one of the best antidotes to stress! ;-)