Stress is my constant companion.  I wish for of peaceful days, but end up surrounded by trials and troubles. Sometimes I turn a minor inconvenience into a larger complication by my reaction to stress.   My mind replays a unfavorable scene over.  I rehearse possible endings for situations, creating the worst possible scenario.  My reactions to stress create a larger problem that what I started with.

Isaiah 43:1 is, “But now, this is what the Lord says – he who created you… he who formed you …;  I have summoned you by name, you are mine. (Holy Bible, New International Version, 2011).  God has named and claimed me as His own.  I can lean on Him for strength.  With God, I will persevere through any storm.  He also calms my mind so I no longer create additional worries.

Without God, I try my best and crumble under stress.  My human strength and willpower is no match for my trials.  When I muscle through on my own power, I create more problems than I fix.  I realize that my life will be facing one battle after another.  Depending on God is the only way I can thrive under stress.