Anxiety has a way of making itself at home. It doesn’t knock. It doesn’t ask for permission. It just shows up—uninvited, unwanted, and unwilling to leave.
Some people feel it in the pit of their stomach, that constant, uneasy churning. Others wear it in their chest, a weight that makes breathing feel like a chore. And then there’s the kind that lives in the mind—the kind that won’t stop spinning, running every worst-case scenario on repeat like a bad movie you can’t turn off.
I know that kind.
For years, I thought anxiety was just something that happened. A response to stress. A normal part of life. But the more I wrestled with it, the more I started to realize something uncomfortable. Something I didn’t really want to admit.
At its core, anxiety isn’t just about stress or uncertainty. It’s about trust.
Or rather, the lack of it.
What Are You Really Afraid Of?
Let’s be honest—most anxiety isn’t about what’s happening right now. It’s about what might happen.
- What if I lose my job?
- What if something happens to my family?
- What if I make the wrong decision?
- What if I fail?
It’s that fear of the unknown, the feeling that something bad is waiting just around the corner. And the worst part? No amount of planning, worrying, or controlling ever seems to make it go away.
So we do what we can to manage it. Some people bury themselves in work, thinking if they just stay busy enough, they won’t have time to overthink. Others try to plan for every possible outcome, convinced that if they prepare for the worst, maybe they’ll feel safer. Some numb it out—food, entertainment, distractions—anything to silence the fear, even if it’s just for a little while.
But no matter what we do, it always finds its way back.
And that’s because anxiety isn’t just about uncertainty. It’s about who we trust in the middle of it.
Do You Really Trust God?
This is where it gets uncomfortable.
Most of us would say we trust God. We believe He’s good. We believe He’s in control. We believe He has a plan.
But when anxiety creeps in, when life throws something at us that we weren’t expecting—do we still believe it then?
Or do we start doubting?
Do we start thinking, God, are You sure You know what You’re doing?
Are You really paying attention?
What if this doesn’t work out?
It’s easy to trust God when life feels steady. It’s harder when everything feels uncertain.
But here’s the truth—anxiety isn’t just a fear problem. It’s a trust problem.
And trust? That’s a choice.
What If You Stopped Trying to Control Everything?
We don’t like giving up control. Not really.
Even if we say we trust God, we like to keep our hands on the wheel—just in case. We pray for peace, but then we stress about how things will work out. We say we trust His timing, but then we panic when answers don’t come fast enough.
But what if we actually let go?
What if we stopped trying to predict every outcome?
What if we stopped running through every “what if” in our heads?
What if we actually believed that God is who He says He is?
That He’s not just watching from a distance, but that He’s right here, working in the middle of everything—even the things we don’t understand.
That His plans for us are good, even when they don’t make sense.
That nothing—nothing—is happening outside of His control.
If we really believed that, I think we’d worry a lot less.
Anxiety Can’t Stay Where Faith Grows
I’m not saying you’ll never feel anxious again. This isn’t some quick fix where you wake up one morning and magically never have another worry in your life.
But I do believe this—the more you trust God, the less room anxiety has to take over.
Faith and fear can’t rule the same heart. One will always be bigger than the other.
So which one are you feeding?
Are you feeding your fear—dwelling on worst-case scenarios, obsessing over things you can’t control, trying to figure everything out on your own?
Or are you feeding your faith—reminding yourself of who God is, spending time in His Word, choosing to believe Him even when it’s hard?
You don’t have to have it all figured out. You just have to take the next step, trusting that He’s got the rest.
Final Thought
If anxiety has been running your life, maybe it’s time to stop fighting for control and start surrendering it instead.
Not to your fears.
Not to your circumstances.
Not to the endless loop of what-ifs in your mind.
But to Christ.
Because the moment we stop trusting in our own plans and start trusting in His?
That’s when peace becomes possible.
