We live in a world that runs on adrenaline, thrives on deadlines, and celebrates hustle. But sometimes, stress doesn’t come from a hectic schedule or an overwhelming crisis. Sometimes it creeps in like fog—quiet, low-hanging, untraceable. You feel tight in your chest, your mind races at night, your patience wears thin, and your heart feels restless—but you can’t name the cause.
You’re stressed, and you don’t even know why.
It’s more common than you think. Many people live under a vague but persistent weight. Everything seems fine on paper—no major conflict, no looming disaster—yet there’s an invisible pressure you can’t shake. And for the Christian, it can be confusing. You pray. You trust. You read Scripture. So why this inner turmoil?
Let’s talk about what’s happening—and what to do about it.
1. Stress Has Layers—Some Deeper Than You Realize
Not all stress is surface-level. Sure, you may not be in the middle of a crisis, but stress can come from:
- Unmet expectations – the life you imagined doesn’t look like the one you’re living.
- Unprocessed grief – pain you never made time to feel or name.
- Unspoken fears – what if I fail? What if I’m not enough?
- Spiritual disconnection – feeling far from God without realizing why.
- Accumulated micro-stressors – a hundred little things that build up over time.
The soul keeps score, even when the mind doesn’t. When you carry tension long enough without releasing it, your body and emotions will eventually sound the alarm. Stress is the soul’s way of saying, “Something’s off.”
2. God Designed Your Body to Be Honest—Even If You’re Not
We often try to power through life by pretending we’re fine. But God didn’t create you to live in denial. He gave you warning lights—emotional, physical, and spiritual indicators that something needs attention.
When Elijah was exhausted, God didn’t lecture him. He fed him and let him sleep (1 Kings 19). God understands your limits. He knows your wiring. Sometimes your stress is your body’s way of asking for rest, boundaries, or healing.
Listen to what your body is telling you. Pay attention to the patterns. Are you anxious in certain settings? Snapping at loved ones? Feeling burned out by ministry? Don’t ignore it. Name it.
3. Don’t Just Push Through—Pause and Pray
When stress is nameless, the worst thing you can do is ignore it or drown it in distraction. That’s when people binge-watch, overeat, doom-scroll, or throw themselves harder into work. But that only buries the issue deeper.
Instead, press pause.
Jesus regularly withdrew to quiet places—not because He was weak, but because He was wise. When He was about to choose His disciples, He spent the night in prayer (Luke 6:12). When He was overwhelmed with grief in Gethsemane, He fell on His face before the Father.
If Jesus made space to process His soul with God, how much more should we?
Find a quiet place. Take a walk. Open your Bible. Journal. And then ask:
“Lord, search me and know me… See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” (Psalm 139:23–24)
God often reveals what’s buried when we invite Him in.
4. Trace the Symptoms Back to the Source
Sometimes stress is sneaky because its root is spiritual, not situational. Maybe you’re striving for approval and don’t know it. Maybe you’re comparing yourself to others. Maybe you’ve said yes too often and violated your God-given limits.
Ask reflective questions:
- Am I carrying a burden God never asked me to carry?
- Am I living to please people instead of God?
- Is there unresolved conflict or sin in my life?
- Am I abiding in Christ—or just performing for Him?
These questions aren’t meant to bring shame but clarity. The Holy Spirit is gentle. He doesn’t condemn—but He does convict, because He loves us.
5. Let Go of Control You Don’t Actually Have
Much of our hidden stress comes from trying to control what we can’t: outcomes, people, timing, the future. We carry the weight of things that belong to God.
Jesus said:
“Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest…” (Matthew 11:28–29)
You’re not called to carry the world. You’re called to walk in faith and obedience, one day at a time. That means releasing what’s not yours to manage. It means trusting God with your kids, your job, your finances, your reputation. It means saying, “Lord, I don’t understand, but I trust You.”
Rest is not laziness. It’s worship. And surrender is the greatest stress-reliever in the Christian life.
6. Return to Your Anchor
Stress is disorienting—it makes you feel scattered, shallow, and spiritually dry. That’s why you must return to the source of peace.
“You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.” (Isaiah 26:3)
You don’t get peace by figuring everything out. You get it by fixing your eyes on the One who already has.
Let God’s Word wash over you. Let worship realign your spirit. Let prayer become the place you breathe again. The presence of God is not a vague comfort—it is your place of grounding, clarity, and joy.
7. Talk to Someone Who Can Help
Sometimes stress hides in dark corners because we haven’t spoken it out loud. God made us for community. You don’t have to navigate this alone.
Talk to a trusted friend, counselor, or pastor. Sometimes naming the stress out loud helps you see it more clearly. Sometimes others can help you connect dots you’ve missed. And always—always—invite God into that conversation.
Final Thought: Peace Is Possible
You may be stressed and not know why—but God does. He’s not overwhelmed by your confusion. He’s not impatient with your questions. He is gentle, present, and ready to bring peace that surpasses understanding.
This moment of stress isn’t a sign of failure—it’s a signal. A holy whisper. An invitation to draw near. The answer isn’t found in perfection, but in presence—His presence.
So take a breath. Press pause. And lean into the peace of the One who holds you, even when you don’t know what’s wrong.
Because He does.
“Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7)
And He always will.
sethmglazier.com 
Leave a comment