For years, I thought stress was simply something that happened to me—just stress, unavoidable and external. It never occurred to me that stress actually requires effort. It takes time, energy, and participation to keep stress alive. Much of my stress comes from resisting things I cannot control, or trying to control things I was never meant to.
To brace against life, to mentally rehearse problems, to turn away from discomfort—this all requires emotional and mental strength. Stress is not always the event itself, but often the struggle against it.
While reading The Untethered Soul, I came across the idea of the Dao—the center point, the stillness between the pendulum swings of life. There is a midpoint between fear and peace, between resistance and surrender. That center is where presence lives.
When negative thoughts or emotions rise from a stressful situation, I have to ask myself: how much effort am I putting into turning away from what is? How much energy is spent fighting instead of accepting?
Peace is often not found in fixing everything, but in releasing the need to. The more I let go, the less life feels like a battle. Sometimes the greatest strength is not in pushing harder, but in standing still and trusting God in the middle of it.
“Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.” — 1 Peter 5:7
This scripture speaks directly to the burden of stress and the unnecessary weight we carry. So often we hold tightly to worries as if our grip can change the outcome, when God is asking us to release them to Him. Stress grows where trust is absent, but peace enters when surrender begins. Casting our anxiety on God is not passive—it is an active choice to stop carrying what was never ours to hold alone.
Prayer
Lord, help me recognize where I am creating my own suffering through resistance. Teach me to release what I cannot control and trust You in the middle of uncertainty. Bring me back to center, back to peace, and back to Your presence. Let me meet stress not with fear, but with faith. Help me cast my anxieties onto You and rest in the truth that You care for me. Amen.
