“Stress comes from trying to do it all on your own. Peace comes from pitting it all in God’s hands.”
Stress is something that may be chosen. We become anxious when we choose to focus on our own limited resources rather than the boundless resources provided by our God.
I thought about how much time I’d wasted feeling like a failure. How, by allowing discouragement to take hold, I allowed other harmful ideas and emotions to distract me from the benefits right in front of me. God was waiting patiently for me to choose Him the entire time, right beside me.
He is always the better option and loves it when you seek His face. So, no matter how many people, heaps, or projects require your attention, you can rest knowing that serenity can be achieved by simply focusing your mind on God.
Struggle, pain, sorrow, concern, and anxiety all contribute to a contradiction between what we experience and what we believe in life. They have the potential to skew our perspective on life and God. At those moments, we need God to give us a new perspective so that we can see clearly again. That normally begins when we redirect our focus to God.
So, if stress is a part of life, the most important thing for the believer is to remember that God has already offered an antidote—his peace. It is up to us to decide how we will handle it. If we opt to do it alone, we will face a lengthy, uphill battle that will not end well. Believing in the Lord God is the first and most important step towards managing stress. Without faith in Him, we are on our own, and success in stress management is nearly impossible. Second, we must have faith in Him and do what He tells us.