It's a really bad habit.

So, I believe I have written 50 blog posts about anxiety and stress. Well, maybe not 50, but it is obvious that God is trying to teach me something….lol.

So, let me just start this blog out with the fact that I don't have all of this stuff figured out. God is teaching me through this blog.  It is often a day later that I find myself saying, "Well, maybe I should listen to my own words."  Lol….God is so patient.

Anyways yesterday, I was sitting in voice class and I was trying to break a habit of tensing up my tongue. I know it sounds weird, but when you sing you want to have everything loose, or you make it harder on yourself.  So, my teacher was having me do weird things, and it was so hard because my muscles in my tongue have a habit of making it hard on myself lol.

Then, it hit me like a train…yes in the middle of my voice lesson.  This applies to my life.  I usually make things harder than they should be.

 I also realized that there is a simple principle throughout creation that stress hurts you and doesn't help you.

When I was a cheerleader my freshman year of high school, I had a private instructor to teach me how to do gymnastics.  Well, I have the flexibility of a overweight middle-aged man, like it is insane how inflexible I am.  My mom makes fun of me.  I am probably exaggerating, but I think you get my point.

So anyway, we would do this stretch where I would have my back on the ground and feet in the middle splits on the wall.  Well, it would always hurt so much.  So, I would tense up thinking that would help me, but one day my instructor told me that when I tense up, it actually makes it hurt more.

This whole time I had been tensing up because I thought it helped me, but in reality it was the very thing that was hurting me.

Isn't this true in life?  We get overwhelmed, so we stress out.  It seems like a natural progression, and it seems like a healthy one.  We have to tense up to get it all done, right?

THAT IS A LIE!! LET US STOP BELIEVING THAT!!

Stress can never help you.

"Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life?" Luke 12:25

Now, let us not test this verse.  I have already tried it…..way too many times.  You don't have to test it.  Worrying doesn't help you, it can only hurt you.  

I took this class at DBU called Christian Leadership and the professor teaches something that is similar to this.  
He says, "Don't confuse activity with accomplishment."

He tells this story of a caterpillar on ring and in the middle of the ring there is food and he can smell it.  Yet, the caterpillar can't get to the middle.  So, the caterpillar will just continue to walk around the rim, until he dies.  

The caterpillar had a lot of activity, but never had any accomplishment. 

Its also like that scene from frozen when Anna is climbing up that mountain, and she is huffing and puffing but she is only like 2 feet off the ground….lol.

So, I understand it is often counterintuitive to have peace through the storm of circumstances.  We feel like if we stress out than at least we are doing something. Instead, we have to let go and let God, because it is only then that we will be free.  

Yet, like I mentioned earlier.  Stress is a habit sometimes.  One that is often very hard to break!!  

It takes discipline and it takes time.  This is what I am working on right now.  I'm exhausted.  I am so tired of being stressed and worried.  I don't want to be that way anymore.  Who is with me??

So, what I do is I write on my wrist. "Let it be, Jesus." There is this song that is amazing, and it talks about Jesus being the first name you call, and the only one on your mind.  I will post it when it gets officially released on iTunes.  Anyways, I write that on my wrist as a reminder to have Jesus on my mind.  

So, let us break the habit of worrying, because we want to move forward!!!  God is stronger and He can take our burdens.  So, let us surrender them daily, hourly, and minutely to him.