After an hour or so of trying to practice, I ended up going to my room and lying on my bed, feeling mentally exhausted. And (thank goodness) as I lay there, I remembered to pray and rediscovered the beauty of surrender, the power it has in driving away stress.

When it comes to jobs, exams and the like, I believe there are two kinds of stress.

The first is good stress. Good stress pushes us to do better, encourages us and doesn’t make us feel guilty.

Bad stress, the second type, pushes us to perfection. But when perfection is not achieved, guilt sets in, preventing us from achieving our goals. Bad stress naturally comes when we are trying to achieve our goals without the help and companionship of God, because without God, we can’t fully achieve anything.

I was experiencing bad stress that day. I had taken on the responsibility of an exam without asking God to be with me on the road leading up to it.

When crunch time came, and I felt my songs were hugely imperfect, I couldn’t practise because of the guilt I felt over those imperfections.

But God is so good. Once I talked to Him and surrendered my whole case to His jurisdiction, He showed me the beauty of what I was doing. He gave me the strength to push through the exam, and moreover, enjoy the experience fully.

Stress or surrender? SOS? That is the question! The answer is easy. God doesn’t want us to go through life on a wave of anxiety. He wants us to enjoy each joyful moment and find peace in our struggle.

There’s a Scripture that says, “If you walk in the way of the Lord, you will dwell in enduring peace.” Now, that sounds like a pretty sweet deal to me. Enduring peace? I’ll take it.

Granted, to “walk in the way of the Lord” is about a hundred times easier to say than it is to do. It’s a life-long challenge.

But what I’ve learned is to walk in the way of the Lord and, when the going gets tough, to try not to force each step.

Instead, I’ll jump into His arms or go for a piggyback ride, and while there, listen for His voice and gain strength from His heart.

And when refreshed, I’ll jump down again (my hand in His, of course!), ready for the next adventure. Would you like to join me?

(Richard, 16, is a Grade 12 home-schooled student in Winnipeg.)