“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”

1 PETER 5:7 (NIV)

I pulled out onto the highway with a venti white chocolate mocha sitting in the cup holder beside me from Starbucks right down the street. The first few sips always helped me settle into the day and regulate my early morning commute. Traffic was light, and the rhythm of the tires against the pavement left space for my thoughts to wander.

Lately, I had been wrestling with things I couldn’t control—plans that didn’t work out, conversations that didn’t go the way I hoped, and outcomes that refused to fit into my timeline.

One of the hardest lessons I had to face was letting go of control. I liked to have plans. I liked knowing what was coming next. But life didn’t always move according to what I expected. And that was hard to accept.

There were times when I fought to hold on to things that were no longer meant for me—relationships, jobs, opportunities. I thought control would give me peace, but instead, it left me drained. The tighter I tried to hold, the more anxious I became.

It wasn’t until I loosened my grip and trusted God with the outcome that I finally found the peace I’d been chasing. Letting go didn’t mean I stopped caring or trying. It meant I started believing that what’s ahead is greater than what I’m holding on to.

As I passed the stretch of open field near Johnson Creek, my eyes drifted toward the hill where the trash was collected, rising up on the side of the highway. At the bottom of that hill sat a small pond with old trees leaning over the water, their branches worn and twisted from years of weather. If you looked closely, you could see bird nests tucked into those branches, resting there like quiet homes. It was the perfect habitat, tucked right off the highway where most people passed by without noticing.

Above all, a few hawks glided in slow circles, steady and unbothered by the wind. There was usually a small group of them, riding in the air together. They didn’t flap around in panic or fight for control. They let the air carry them. Watching them, I was reminded that peace often begins when we stop forcing outcomes and start trusting the process.

If you’re tired from trying to hold everything together, take a breath. Surrender what’s weighing you down. You were never meant to carry it all alone. When you do, you’ll realize that life is so much easier to carry.

Why? Well, because letting go isn’t giving up. It’s trusting that God has something better waiting ahead. And trusting His plan is always easier than carrying our own.

Letting go isn’t giving up. It’s trusting that God has something better waiting ahead.

Keep moving forward,

Dr. Key