How can you let go of unnecessary stress?
How can you let go of unnecessary stress?
Yep, we are still talking about stress. How can we let go of unnecessary stress? Stick around for it because I (Laura) believe it’s disgustingly distracting. And the single-most destructive tool to our testimony.
I mean, there is inevitable stress and life pressures. Then there is S T R E S S. The unnecessary kind. The kind brought upon ourselves by personal decisions and misaligned priorities.
Summary: There are a lot of things that Christians do that create more stress in their lives than is needed.
Life happens, I get that, things are not always good. But we work through our struggles and overcome them. That’s not the kind of stress I am talking about, I mean the self-induced kind, the kind that comes when we lose focus of our calling.
God calls us to be a light on top of a hill (Matthew 5:14), and when we take our eyes off of Him, our light dims.
We are meant to have an intentional, peace-filled life; our lives should draw others to God. But when we are broadcasting our complaints, our discontent, our stress; non-believers are not going to want what we have.
If we don’t let go of unnecessary stress, it can ruin our testimony.
Are you holding onto unnecessary stress?
Do you ever feel uncomfortable telling someone that things are going really well in your life? Or do you find validation by talking about how busy you are or how hard things have been recently?
I know I have found myself in that seat, where I have felt weird admitting to people that life is good because for so long it wasn’t.
I have had to change my script and be positive, I rewired my brain and surrendered a lot of that control to God. I started saying things like, “Life is crazy, but GOD.”
“I’m a little weary, but GOD.” There is a lot of power in that.
And we communicate a lot of hope to those around us when we choose to frame things that way.
What unnecessary stress do we need to let go of?
Are there some things that we allow to stress us out that God never intended for us to worry over?
- Rehashing Stressful Situations
- Worse Case Scenario Thinking
- Procrastination
- Lack of Punctuality
- Over-scrolling/Oversharing on Social Media
- Clutter in Your Home/Office
- Worrying About Money Already Spent
What does the Bible say about letting go of unnecessary stress?
Here are some verses from Proverbs that speak directly to the unnecessary stress that we allow in our lives:
Stressed about your relationships?
“Don’t befriend angry people or associate with hot-tempered people, or you will learn to be like them and endanger your soul.” Proverbs 22:24-25
Exhausted from working too many hours?
“Don’t wear yourself out trying to get rich. Be wise enough to know when to quit. In the blink of an eye wealth disappears, for it will sprout wings and fly away like an eagle.” Proverbs 23:4-45
Struggle to give up control of your life?
“The Lord directs our steps, so why try to understand everything along the way?” Proverbs 20:24
Consumed with bitterness?
“Don’t say, ‘I will get even for this wrong.’ Wait for the Lord to handle the matter.” Proverbs 20:22
Power Hungry?
“Better to be patient than powerful; better to have self-control than to conquer a city.” Proverbs 16:32
Pursuing the wrong path?
“Whoever abandons the right path will be severely disciplined; whoever hates correction will die.” Proverbs 15:10
Bottom line, whatever it is that you struggle with, in the words of Elsa, LET IT GO! Surrender.
Don’t carry more weight than you are supposed to. Stress is not good for your body, your soul, your relationships, or your testimony.
If you need to let go of unnecessary stress, what is it?
What things in your life do you need to let go of because you don’t know any other way to live?
