I was talking to a friend of mine who mentioned that something which helps her get through stressful times and anxious thoughts is to “put it in the drawer” meaning to let it go until you can….

1. Talk with a therapist or a trusted friend about what to do

2. Deal with the situation - eg. praying for wisdom or brainstorming next steps
   

Without the ability to “put things in the drawer” our thoughts can take over our life to the point of not being able to think about or do anything else. This is not a healthy way to go through life and can end up eating away at your peace as well as your physical and emotional health. 

In the Bible, we see how people deal with challenging situations which can serve as an example in our lives… 

In Exodus, the Israelites escape slavery and need to rely on the Lord to sustain them for 40 years. There are people like Joshua and Caleb who made the best of a difficult situation versus those whose lack of faith and negative attitude only serve to make a hard situation worse. 

One of the ultimate examples in the Bible of an individual who makes the best of a hard situation was Paul. Even though he was beaten multiple times, imprisoned under the most horrible conditions, and ultimately died as a martyr, he still found a way to be joyful and work towards his goals.

We live in a fallen world so there will always be challenges and stress. Can you put the “poopy” things taking place in your life in a drawer and continue moving towards your goals while having faith that God is working on your problems?

To help you in this effort, I have made this super cool printable if I do say so myself! Use it with a PDF editor (if you would like to use it digitally) or print it out if you would like to use the old school pen and paper method. 

If you have any strategies as to how you deal with stress or how you put your “stuff in the drawer,” please share!

Lyrics

I got that good news smile on my face
I got that feeling that the world can't erase
There ain't a single day I let go to waste
I got that good news smile on my face

I got that beat, beat, beating in my heart
I got that gospel song rocking in my car
A little light gonna get me through the dark
I got that beat, beat, beating in my heart

All joy, no stress
No worries, I'm blessed
From early in the morning 'til the crickets and the sun done set, yeah
All joy

I'm gonna thank God Almighty for the good days (okay)
I'm gonna thank God Almighty for the bad (alright)
Hand out the window waving bye to my old ways (old ways)
Yeah, thank God Almighty, I ain't ever going back

All joy, no stress
No worries, I'm blessed
From early in the morning 'til the crickets and the sun done set, yeah
All joy
All joy

Bad news (all joy)
Rent's due (all joy)
In the struggle (all joy)
Yeah, in the battle (all joy)

Yeah, life will get you down (all joy)
But there's joy still to be found (all joy)
You can't buy it 'cause it's free (all joy)
So lay your troubles on the ground, get to singing with me (come on)

All joy, no stress (all joy)
No worries, I'm blessed
From early in the morning 'til the crickets and the sun done set, yeah

All joy, no stress (no stress)
No worries, I'm blessed
From early in the morning 'til the crickets and the sun done set, yeah
All joy (all joy, all joy)
All joy (all joy, all joy)

The sun done set, uh (all joy)
Too blessed (all joy)
All joy, no stress (all joy)
All joy, no stress (all joy)