Putting An End To Stress

I've been stressed since the second day of Kindergarten.

Okay it may not be that exact; but if you know me, you know I am ALWAYS stressed about something. Whether it's the most trivial detail in life or one of the most problematic things I've gone through, it's most likely causing me to worry and stress. Often times, I suffer from being stressed without any specific reason; I just feel the burden on me. 

Over time I've tried to figure out why I am always suffering from this so called "anxiety," and I've come up with multiple reasons over the past few years. I've convinced myself that I'm too controlling, that my expectations exceed reality, and that just too much is going on in my life. But is that really the case? 

Honestly, I've come to terms with myself and faced the facts... I'm simply not trusting The Lord enough, and that HAS to change. My God created me. He planned out EVERY path in my life, EVERY trial, and EVERY single thing that I've chosen to worry about. If the utmost beautiful and perfect Creator made me and planned out every detail of my life, then why should I worry? Well I've had my wake up call for sure... 

As I laid in bed between classes the other day I was doing my normal routine of going through every detail of that day and worrying about it. "Did I do this right?" "Am I going to have time for this?" "Do they really think I'm capable of doing that?" and so on and so on. And then it hit me, the only thing I'm doing by worrying about every detail of my life is fueling Satan's power over me. I become so distant from The Lord when I allow stress to control my life that I become so incredibly vulnerable to the enemy's lies. I start to believe that no one likes me, that I could never achieve my goals, that I'm incapable of making an impact on others, etc. The fact that I had been allowing those thoughts to consume my life disturbed me. I decided then and there that I would not let Satan have that type of power over me anymore. 

How often have we heard Philippians 4:6-7? "Do not worry about anything. Instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all that He has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Jesus Christ." I've heard that verse numerous times, but to be completely honest, I never once really applied that verse to my life. Of course I prayed about certain situations, and of course I thanked God for the things He had blessed me with... But I had never once thanked Him for the trials and the tests of faith. I never once really asked Him for what I "needed." And I almost always felt ridiculous bringing my trivial worries into my prayers, but that's EXACTLY what He wants from me. He wants me to tell Him the things in my life that are causing me to worry. He wants me to thank Him for the trials in my life. He wants me to experience His peace in my life. He wants to guard my heart and mind from the enemy's lies. 

What a compassionate Father and Creator we have. 

But let's be real here a moment. This isn't something that's going to change overnight... but I want to challenge you to start putting an effort into giving things up to The Lord. You may not suffer from the same types of worrying issues I have had, but when you find yourself stressed about an upcoming exam, worried that you're not fitting in, or anything at all that's causing worry or stress in your life big or small, just give it to Him! I have seen a noticeable change in my walk with The Lord since I have chosen to start really applying that verse into my life. I am not perfect by any means, far from it... I still catch myself stressing about things from time to time, but then I remember that I have a choice to be vulnerable to the enemy or to experience the beauty and comfort of God's peace. 

I hope that this applies to more people than just me, and if it applies to you.. Just know I am praying for you (whoever you are) and that I am right there with you. It's a daily effort, but it is so worth it when you can finally be at peace with yourself and the situations you are in. And hey, please keep me in your prayers too. I still go through times that I forget these things, so definitely keep me in your prayers as well! 

I feel like I should end this blog post with two things... 

1. An apology for not blogging much lately: I'm so sorry guys! I've been transitioning into the new college life, but I'm going to start sitting down and making time for this more often! 
2. And a cliche saying: "We are too blessed to be stressed!" Hey, I thought it was appropriate. :)