Trusting in God > Stress

I'm not an expert on how to handle stress, but I do know that God is the ultimate helper, and there are some great scriptures that help me when I am feeling overwhelmed. Matthew 6:34 says, "Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own," and wow is this difficult. Y'all, sometimes I literally think it's the next day, because I'm thinking about it so much. It is so hard to be in the present when you have to-do lists that are no where near being completed, if you have a class you're dreading, or if you just feel overwhelmed about everything going during the week.

If you backtrack a few verses in Matthew 6, it says, "Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?" When I actually try to imagine this, I can picture a beautiful cardinal just chilling in my backyard looking majestic. It's not constantly flying around looking for food, and it's definitely not looking for food to store for the next day or week, yet it's plump, full, and chirping. What I would do to be like a bird and not worry about tomorrow!! However, just like how God feeds the bird, he will provide for me. Therefore, stressing less for me looks like trusting more in God. The more I trust God, the less I worry about what's to come. Proverbs 3:5-6 says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him and he will make your paths straight." Each part of this verse is so good. Trust in the Lord AND lean not on your own understanding. I know I can't cure my stress by trying to trust God and questioning in my head how everything's going to be okay. My understanding is not God's. His is wayyyy better. I need to lean on what he says, not what I think. The second part of this verse is also really important, because it's hard to choose to trust God then go back to everyday life. It says in all your ways submit to him. So, one example could be if you pray to him and read your Bible more consistently, the more you can trust what he says and lean less on your own understanding. Finally, the last part of this verse is what we all want... he will make your paths straight! Whether you're trying to trust God in something that's happening this week or in years to come, I truly believe that this verse has got it right. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him and he will make your paths straight." I hope this verse guides you to trusting God this week! I hope you can spend less time stressing and more time in the present moment with friends and family :)