Step Back to Move Forward?

It has been all of maybe 2 days. So far, I have learned that a huge part of stress prevention and relief lies in perspective. Each day brings new struggles, just like Matthew 6:34 says, "So do not worry about tomorrow; it will have enough worries of its own. There is no need to add to the troubles each day brings." God cares for the smallest of His creations, why should I doubt that He can and will take care of me, one of His greatest creations?

I have found myself becoming alarmed or stressed over myriad things in the past two weeks, and even in the past two days, but the reactions in the past two days have been much different. Instead of panicing and stressing myself to the point of no return, I've learned to take a step back and keep the situation in perspective. For example, just today I learned that the background check I have to have for my education class will not go through but I'm potentially still being charged for the report. I freaked out, almost cried, and considered myself to have had the worst day ever. The truth is that I had a wonderful day with a small glitch, a glitch that I can do nothing about at this point. It was hard, and definitely not my first thought, but after I mentally forced myself to consider the day's events in their entirety, I was able to realize that overreacting can seriously affect my mental health. Not only that, but I have been allowing myself to be bogged down and burdened by my circumstances.

Here's another truth for today: my circumstances do not determine my joy. Christ living in me is my Joy, and nothing can change that. In fact, joy is part of the fruit of the Spirit! When the Holy Spirit resides in me (which is always) the fruit of His presence and God's reign in me is "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control." So my newest lesson is to (1) step back, (2) consider the trials or hardships I face compared to the eternal hope that I have for heaven and that I have for a Christ-filled life here on earth, and (3) move on! And as an old friend of mine once told me, "Practice makes permanent," so I'll put this concept into practice and see how it goes.