Let's be honest, college is hard. With the stresses of classes, GPA, bills and trying to figure out what you want to do for the rest of your life, it's hard to imagine that God has a plan for you, but yes, amidst all the craziness, God is there...planning each and every thing.

It's hard to say "it's in God's hands" when it comes to someone who's sick or a really tough situation, but it's even harder to say it for "small" things like exams, classes, and day to day life as a college student. So how do we not worry and hand everything over to God in a culture that considers stress the norm?

Isaiah 41:10 says "Do not fear, for I am with you; do not fear, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, I will surely help you with my righteous hand." If this is what is said, then why do we stress so much? Why do we doubt that God has a plan for us and doesn't have our best interest in mind? We must realize that God, the God who created the vast beauty of earth, the God who formed you in your mother's womb, the God that sent his ONLY son to save you from your sins-THAT God is there with you, that God is there to strengthen you and help you, so tell me...why worry?

cour·age

noun

the ability to do something that frightens one.

strength in the face of pain or grief.

To believe that God has a plan for us is to be able to have the courage to put everything in his hands. I believe the word courage is fitting in this situation. It's not easy to hand over your worries and stress to God. That would mean that you aren't in control, right? But is it better for you or God to be in control? Martin Luther King once said, "I have held many things in my hands, and I have lost them all; but whatever I have placed in God's hands, that I still posses." What King is trying to say is that as hard as you try to hold onto your plans that cause you stress and worry, if you do not release it into God's hands, you WILL lose it. But when you hand it over to God, he will help your plans prosper and develop in order to serve his purpose.

When you put your cares in God's hands, he puts peace in your heart. You will no longer need to carry the burdens of all your worries, God will carry them all and you will find peace in that no matter what the outcome of any situation you face, God is aware and using it for his ultimate glory. So when you're feeling overwhelmed and like you're being held down by the worry and stress of college life, just step back and hand every single thing over to God...I promise you, he knows what he's doing.