Overcoming Anxiety: A Journey of Gratitude and Faith

Anxiety is something that can really take over our minds and lives if we let it. It affects our mental health and, often, even our physical health. When someone struggles with anxiety, it doesn’t just affect them—it impacts the people around them too. I believe anxiety has the power to break a person if it goes unchecked, and I think that’s why Jesus Christ understood how big a problem anxiety could be. When I think about Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, right before His crucifixion, I realize that He knew what it felt like to be anxious.

When Jesus went to the garden, He didn’t go alone. He asked His friends to come and pray with Him, knowing that something heavy was about to happen. He was anxious about what was coming. He even prayed and asked God to take away the painful event that was ahead of Him. But, despite feeling anxious, Jesus still surrendered His worries to God, saying, "Not my will, but Yours be done." This shows us that even though He felt anxiety, He trusted in God’s plan. Jesus has been in our shoes, and that’s why the Bible tells us so many times to "fear not." He knows how it feels, and He promises to be with us.

Anxiety happens to all of us. It’s part of life, but it becomes a problem when we don’t deal with it properly. Most of the time, anxiety comes when we’re worried about things that we don’t have or when we feel we’re not where we want to be. We look around and see others achieving things, and suddenly we’re not content with what we have. I know I’ve felt that way before, always wanting to accomplish more, and while being ambitious is a good thing, it can become harmful if we let it take over.

I’ve learned that one of the keys to dealing with anxiety is gratitude. When we stop and appreciate what we have, we begin to feel less anxious about what we don’t have. For example, just waking up in the morning is a reason to be thankful. Being able to see, hear, walk, and breathe—these are things we often take for granted. But when we pause and thank God for these small things, we start to see how blessed we really are.

Jesus knew anxiety was a challenge, but He also gave us a way to deal with it. In Philippians 4:6, we’re told, "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God." This verse gives us a formula for handling anxiety. First, we pray and tell God what’s on our hearts. Then, we thank Him for what we already have. This combination of prayer and gratitude is powerful because it helps us shift our focus from what’s making us anxious to the blessings in our lives.

Over the next 21 days, I want to invite you to join me on a journey—a gratitude and worship challenge. Each day, we will look at the small things in our lives that we often overlook and take a moment to thank God for them. It could be as simple as being thankful for the fact that we can walk, or it could be something bigger, like being grateful for the people in our lives who support and love us.

Gratitude is key to overcoming anxiety because it changes the way we think. Instead of focusing on what we lack or what we’re worried about, we begin to see the good that’s already around us. Anxiety often comes when we feel like we’re not enough or we don’t have enough. We worry about the future, about things we haven’t achieved yet, and that can steal our peace. But when we remind ourselves that we are already blessed, we start to feel less anxious.

That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t aim for bigger things in life. It’s okay to have goals and dreams. But while we work toward those things, we should also be content with what we have right now. We can say, "I want to achieve more, but even if I don’t, I’m thankful for what God has already given me." This attitude helps to break the cycle of anxiety.

For the next 21 days, I encourage you to take time each day to reflect on what you’re grateful for. It doesn’t have to be big things; sometimes, the smallest blessings make the biggest difference. Whether it’s the ability to get up in the morning, a kind word from a friend, or simply the fact that you have food to eat, these are all reasons to say, "Thank you, Lord."

Anxiety is tough, but it doesn’t have to control us. When we focus on gratitude and remind ourselves of God’s promises, we find peace. Jesus has already shown us that He understands our anxiety, and He tells us not to worry because He is with us. Let’s take this journey of gratitude together and trust that God is working in our lives, even when we can’t see it yet.

Remember, with or without the next big thing, we can be grateful. With or without the answers we’re waiting for, we can still thank God for what He has already done. Let’s embrace this challenge and watch as gratitude begins to replace anxiety in our hearts and minds.