For years, I had a special mechanical pencil I loved — a perfectly weighted, smooth-writing, irreplaceable tool that helped me map out my perfectly articulated theological prose and soliloquies. Whenever I misplaced it, I’d turn the house upside down in an effort to find it. My wife, in a frustratedly, exhausted (yet completely unhelpful) manner, would just follow me around saying, “Stop looking for it. It will show up eventually.”
That pencil taught me something about myself — perfectionism, anxiety, and overwhelm all come from the same place — the need to feel in control. They whisper, “If I just try harder, plan better, or think longer, I’ll finally feel peace.” But the truth is, those things only show what happens when we try to live without the Holy Spirit.
Control says, “If I can just figure out how to manage this, I’ll have peace of mind.”
The Holy Spirit says, “If you just let Me manage this, you will receive My peace.”
One of my favorite passages on the subject of anxiety vs peace is Philippians 4.6–7. It revolutionized my perspective on how I can experience real and thorough peace. Peace has never been the result of solving my own problems — it’s only the result of surrendering them to my Heavenly Dad. When I release my desire to understand and control, only then do I experience the peace of God — the kind that “surpasses all understanding”. That peace becomes a guard for my heart and mind, shielding me from fear, anxiety, and doubt. Said another way, when I try and understand or control my circumstances, I reject the very peace that I am desperately working to attain.
When we feel overwhelmed or anxious, it’s usually because we’re looking too far ahead — trying to fix or prevent problems we were never meant to carry on our own. The invitation isn’t to figure everything out; it’s to ask one simple question: “Holy Spirit, what’s the next small step?”
That’s it.
Not ten steps.
Not a five-year plan.
Just the next step.
Living by the Spirit has always been a one-step-at-a-time journey. Galatians 5.25 says, “If the Spirit is the source of our life, we must also allow the Spirit to direct every aspect of our lives.”
That means we’re not meant to mature out of dependence on Him — we’re meant to mature into interdependence with Him. If we believe Christian maturity is about getting to a place where we no longer need the Holy Spirit, then what we’re really saying is that salvation means learning to live without the Giver of life. But redemption isn’t independence; it’s an interdependent union — a moment-by-moment, Spirit-led life.
So today, before you spiral into overthinking or emotionally reacting, pause. Take a moment to breathe slowly. Then, ask the Holy Spirit: What’s the next small step?
Then trust that one Spirit-led step with Him is more productive than a thousand anxious laps on your own.
God bless,
Nathan
