Grateful for the Very Things That Stress Me Out

Lately, I’ve been sitting with this strange but beautiful truth:

I’m genuinely grateful for the things that stress me out.

Not because stress feels good (it doesn’t). Not because life has been easy (it hasn’t). And not because I’ve mastered inner peace (I’m still learning every single day). But because when I zoom out—even just a little—I realize how blessed I am to even have the problems that sit on my plate right now.

There were seasons in my life where I prayed for exactly the responsibilities I now lose sleep over. I prayed for the opportunities that I now juggle. I prayed for the independence that comes with its own set of challenges. I prayed for healing that would give me the clarity to handle things I couldn’t even name back then. And somehow, in the middle of chaos, my higher power, whom I choose to call God, delivered. Not all at once, not perfectly, but in a way that built me, stretched me, and taught me how to carry more than I ever thought I could.

I used to feel crushed by life. I remember praying just to make it through the day. I remember the versions of me who didn’t know how she was going to survive her own thoughts, never mind her circumstances. I remember the years where “stress” wasn’t about too much on my calendar — it was about too much on my heart.

So when I look at my life now, I realize something important:

Everything that overwhelms me today is something the old me once wanted for the future.

And that perspective changes everything.

Because being stressed about your job means you have a job that you’re trusted with.

Being overwhelmed by people means you have people who rely on you.

Feeling stretched thin means you’re in positions you once fought to be in.

Feeling tired means you are showing up — for others, for yourself, for a purpose that is still unfolding.

Sometimes I think God gives us exactly what we ask for, just wrapped in responsibility. The blessing is there, but so is the work. The promise arrives, but it comes with pressure so we can grow into the kind of person who can actually hold it.

That’s the part no one talks about.

Growing into your answered prayers can feel just as painful as growing out of your old wounds.

But it’s sacred.

It’s intentional.

It’s shaping you.

I’m learning to pause in those moments where I want to complain, break down, or run away. I’m learning to take a breath and say:

“Thank you. I never thought I’d make it to a life like this.”

Not a perfect life — but a meaningful one.

I’m grateful that I get to wake up with clarity after years of confusion.

Grateful that I get to love people fiercely, even when it hurts.

Grateful that I get to serve, support, and pour into others because I once wished someone would do that for me.

Grateful that I can feel stress because it means I am alive, I am needed, I am moving forward, and I am trusted with more.

And honestly? I’m grateful that God sees a version of me that I’m still trying to catch up to.

If you’re reading this and your plate feels too full — take a moment.

Look at your life from the outside.

Look at the things that are stretching you, frustrating you, tiring you out.

And ask yourself: Would an older version of me have prayed for this?

More often than not, the answer is yes.

So today, even in the mess, I’m choosing gratitude.

Not because life is perfect, but because God has a way of making even the stress feel purposeful.

Because everything I’m carrying now is building the person I’m becoming.

Because I know deep down that none of this is by accident.

And for that… I am grateful.