Think about how a pressure cooker works. As heat is applied, steam builds up inside the sealed pot. If there isn’t a release valve to safely vent that steam, the intense pressure will eventually cause the entire pot to violently explode. Anxiety operates the exact same way in our minds. When the heat of life gets turned up, the pressure builds, and if we try to hold it all inside, we will eventually break. God offers us a supernatural release valve: prayer and gratitude. When we are anxious, it is often a sign that we are trying to carry the weight of outcomes we cannot control. We are trying to be the “Manager of the Universe.” When we stop obsessing over our problems and start talking to God about them—specifically adding gratitude for what He has already done—the pressure is safely released. We trade our panic for His peace, a peace that stands like a guard at the door of our hearts, keeping the chaos out. | 
