God vs. stress

Now it's pretty apparent at who would win if it came down to God or stress, so why do we do it?  The past two weeks have been slammed with tests, quizzes, papers, and presentations and I slipped in the oh so natural freak out mode.  When I get stressed I focus only on the point that I'm stressed.. when I should be totally focused on the Lord and having faith that He is faithful!  I always think back to Crazy Love where Francis Chan says:

WORRY implies that we don't quite trust that God is big enough, powerful enough, or loving enough to take care of what's happening in our lives.

STRESS says that the things we are involved in are important enough to merit our impatience, our lack of grace towards others, or our tight grip of control.

It is SO easy to slip into that mindset when it seems like there just aren't enough hours in the day.  It's almost impossible to avoid stress due to our human nature.  But, stress does have a positive side. It can be a reminder that our lives have drifted away from God.  It might be an indicator that we have stopped depending on Him daily for strength.  I think we all know that God IS big enough, powerful enough, and loving enough to take care of what's going on in our lives - so why have doubt?  I've been having to reaffirm that over and over the past few weeks, and I've found peace in knowing that His plan is fargreater than my own, and He has a grip on the situation.. even if I don't. So if you're stressing, overwhelmed, or worrying.. quit that nonsense!  The Lord has you in His hands - as John 14:27 says,  "I am leaving you with a gift--peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give isn't like the peace the world gives. So don't be troubled or afraid."