When the movie Encanto came out, I wasn’t too excited, but then I sat down and watched it and instantly fell in love. And the song “Surface Pressure” really got me thinking about the pressures of life. The pressure to be a good daughter, sister, wife, mother, and friend. Then, of course, there is the pressure to be a “good Christian”.

I feel Luisa. I feel her struggle, the pressure that she must make it seem like everything on the surface is great and that she is strong enough, when under the surface she is cracking and breaking. Under the surface, she hides her nerves “and it worsens”, worrying that something will hurt the family.

Then comes the lines that really had me thinking: “But wait…If I could shake the crushing weight of expectations, Would that free some room up for joy?” How many times have I thought this??? How many times has this been my song? Sitting here, listening to the song, I realize that this is EXACTLY why we need Jesus.

We were never meant to carry the pressure of life. We were never meant to carry the burden of our own sin, our family struggles, or society’s struggles. We are set free by the blood of Christ.

“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” Galatians 5:1

Christ has set us free, and in that freedom we are to stand firm, on the Word, against schemes of the enemy and hardships of life.

So, how do we move from being Luisa, carrying the pressures of life under the surface, to living a life of joy and freedom? How do we shed the social media perfection and move into the higher calling God has for our lives? I’ll admit this isn’t easy, it’s a constant tug of war between our flesh and the Spirit. The answer to our life struggles can only be found in the true Word of God.

So here are 3 ways that we can move from living a life of stress to a life of joy and freedom:

1. We need to be grafted to the Vine. Jesus said in John 15:5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”  So let’s back up to verse 2, “Every brand in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.”

3. Submission to God. This subject is probably not the most popular in our culture today. We live in a society that promotes pride, self help, and doing whatever makes us feel happy. Even within the church, we see these pitfalls. And if we’re honest with ourselves, we struggle with it as well. How many times have we googled ways to reduce stress? (As I write this, I realize that this morning I literally googled ways to reduce anxiety and sleep better) So many times we look to the world to reduce our stress and fix our problems.

In order to tackle the stress of life, we need to humble ourselves and bring ourselves into full submission to God. “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you” 1 Peter 5:6-7. When we humble ourselves we are laying down our pride, self help, and desires to seek the Lord. Peter reminds us to cast all our anxiety on him. To cast something is the act of throwing something forcefully. Realizing that we are inadequate to handle the stress and anxiety, we know that we can forcefully throw our anxiety and stress onto our Savior. He is capable and willing to handle all we have.

The demands of life can be overwhelming and daunting, but we aren’t to handle stress like the world says. Romans 12:2 NIV “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind….” We can overcome the stress and anxiety of our lives, but it’s only by being transformed from a child of the world to a child of God. My prayer for each of you is that we do not become lazy, but stay alert and in God’s word so He can refresh us, equip us, and carry us through the trials of life.