Discover the anti-striving strategy to renew your soul, quiet inner pressure, find rest, and live with greater peace, purpose, and trust every day.
Trevor H Lund helps capable and caring people—who are growing weary in doing good—move from striving and stress to peace and purpose as they rediscover and enjoy the life God created them for. He does this as an encourager, writer, and authorpreneur. He encourages through his blog, podcast, and live casts at https://revtrev.com/, shares his writing at https://trevorlund.com/, and teaches in Live LIGHT Academy at https://livelight.ca/.
Pre-campaign
Wednesdays 10:00 AM MDT - August 26 - September 16, 2026
This is part of the Pre-Campaign for the 3rd Annual Live LIGHT 70-Day Gratitude Challenge.
The Gratitude Challenge itself runs from Friday, September 18, 2026 – Thursday November 26, 2026 I’m doing weekly live casts on X, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, Tiktok and Instagram. As well as doing group coaching and weekly meetings in the Cascade Chalet.
Join me.
Build a habit of gratitude, one day at a time https://revtrev.link/thanks
Listen to Unlock the Anti-Striving Strategy
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Read the text of the teaching for Unlock the Anti-Striving Strategy
Have you ever had a full schedule without feeling overwhelmed—and then had another day with only a few tasks that left you exhausted?
Busyness is not always about how much you have to do. Often, it is about the weight you are carrying while you do it.
The good news is that there is an anti-striving strategy that can help you move from stress and self-reliance to peace and purpose: learning to give thanks with your whole heart.
The Morning I Realized I Was Too Busy to Be Busy
I remember dropping my children off at school one morning while mentally racing through the day ahead.
I had already attended one meeting and was trying to work out whether I could get to another meeting before my lunch appointment.
A friend saw me and asked, “How’s your day—busy?”
I was about to agree with her and continue on my way. Instead, I heard myself say:
“I don’t have time to be busy!”
The statement surprised me. Where had it come from?
As I thought about it, I realized it had exposed something beneath my packed schedule. I wanted to learn how to accomplish what needed to be done without constantly feeling rushed, pressured, and overwhelmed.
That question led me to discover an anti-striving strategy that changed how I understood work, faith, and rest.
The answer was not doing more for God.
It was learning to trust Him and give thanks with my whole heart.
Busyness Is Not Always About Your Schedule
There have been seasons when I was doing many things but did not feel particularly busy. At other times, I had only a few responsibilities but felt completely overwhelmed.
That contrast made me ask an important question:
What is the root of busyness?
My family and I moved to New Zealand in 2005. At that time, the culture felt laid-back and relaxed. The phrase “no worries” seemed to describe the general attitude.
Yet the busiest people I knew were often involved in church work.
I also noticed that some people became busier after retirement. Even when their employment ended, their sense of pressure did not.
This showed me that busyness is not simply a calendar problem. It can be a soul problem.
How Shame Turns Work Into Striving
The early chapters of Genesis helped me understand this more clearly.
Before sin entered the world, Adam and Eve worked, but work was not described as painful, anxious, or oppressive. They walked with God and lived without shame.
After the fall, everything changed.
Shame entered the human experience. Work became difficult. In Genesis 3:19, God tells Adam:
“By the sweat of your brow will you have food to eat until you return to the ground from which you were made.”
—Genesis 3:19, NLT
Work itself was not the problem. Striving was.
Shame can cause us to feel that we must prove ourselves, protect our image, avoid failure, and carry responsibilities without help. We may work hard not only to accomplish something, but also to show that we are valuable, competent, or acceptable.
That pressure creates inner busyness.
You can have an empty calendar and still feel driven. You can be doing good things and still be running on fear.
Jesus Offers an Anti-Striving Strategy
Jesus speaks directly to weary people:
“Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”
—Matthew 11:28–30, NLT
Jesus does not offer a new checklist.
He offers a shared life.
What Is a Yoke?
A yoke is a wooden beam that joins two animals together so they can work as a team. Traditionally, a stronger, more experienced animal would help train a younger one.
The stronger animal carried much of the weight. The younger one learned to walk in step.
When Jesus invites us to take His yoke, He is not saying, “Here are more responsibilities for you to manage.”
He is saying:
Walk with Me. Let Me teach you. Let Me carry the weight.
The rest Jesus gives is not simply a nap or a break from responsibility. It is a different way of living—one based on trust rather than self-reliance.
The Real Problem Was Not Doing Too Much
I eventually realized that my problem was not necessarily the number of things I was doing.
The deeper problem was that I was trying to do them alone.
I was trying to:
- Look good
- Avoid looking bad
- Manage every outcome
- Prove that I could handle everything
- Carry the weight of my own life
- Make sure everything worked out
That kind of effort is exhausting.
Jesus offers a better way. His yoke becomes light when we trust that God is good and that He is able to work through every situation for good.
Without that trust, we can become like a young ox resisting the older one. We hesitate, pull back, and struggle against the direction we are being led.
Gratitude Helps Us Walk With Jesus
This is where gratitude becomes an important anti-striving strategy.
When we worry, our attention turns toward possible problems, imagined outcomes, and everything we cannot control.
When we give thanks, our attention turns toward God’s presence and goodness.
The situation may not change immediately, but something changes within us.
Instead of saying:
“God, help me survive this.”
We begin to say:
“God, You are already with me in this.”
The apostle Paul gives us this pattern:
“Worry about nothing; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.”
—Philippians 4:6, NLT
Thanksgiving does not mean pretending that life is easy. It means bringing our real concerns to God while remembering that we are not facing them alone.
What Does It Mean to Give Thanks With Your Whole Heart?
I used to think that giving thanks with your whole heart meant becoming highly emotional.
But the biblical understanding of the heart is broader. The Hebrew word lev refers not only to emotions, but also to the center of a person’s decisions, thoughts, and actions.
Giving thanks with your whole heart involves three parts:
1. Decide to Give Thanks
Gratitude begins with a choice.
You may not feel thankful when you start. You may be tired, worried, or discouraged. Still, you can choose to look for God’s goodness.
2. Feel Grateful
As you name what you appreciate, your emotions often begin to catch up with your decision.
You might feel grateful for:
- God’s presence
- A safe place to sleep
- A supportive friend
- A meal
- A meaningful conversation
- Strength for today
- A lesson learned through difficulty
3. Express Appreciation
Gratitude becomes complete when it is put into action.
You can express appreciation through:
- Prayer
- A written journal entry
- A message to someone
- An act of service
- A spoken thank-you
- Generosity
- Paying attention to the good around you
This three-part rhythm—deciding, feeling, and acting—turns gratitude from a quick phrase into a whole-person practice.
Why a Gratitude Practice Can Help
Research on gratitude journaling suggests that regularly recording what you appreciate can improve emotional well-being. Some studies have found that people who practice gratitude report greater happiness and satisfaction.
However, it is important to treat specific claims carefully. There is no universal rule that everyone will become exactly 10% happier after 21 days, nor is there a guaranteed timetable for changing brain patterns.
What we can say is that repeated practices can help shape attention and behavior over time.
The spiritual principle is simple:
What you repeatedly notice becomes easier to notice again.
If your attention is trained only on problems, your mind may become quicker to find problems. If you regularly notice God’s provision, kindness, and presence, gratitude can become a more natural response.
A Simple 70-Day Gratitude Practice
This understanding led me to create the Live LIGHT 70-Day Gratitude Challenge.
It is not intended to be another demanding program or task on your already-full list. Instead, it provides simple structure for developing a new response to daily life.
For 70 days, you practice three steps:
- Decide to give thanks.
- Feel grateful for what you have named.
- Show appreciation through words or actions.
The purpose is not to deny hardship. The purpose is to create space to recognize God’s goodness in the middle of hardship.
Over time, this practice can help you respond to stress with greater awareness, trust, and peace.
How to Begin the Anti-Striving Strategy Today
You do not need to wait for a perfect season. Try this simple practice tomorrow morning:
Step 1: Name One Concern
Be honest with God about what is making you anxious or tired.
Step 2: Give Thanks in the Same Situation
Ask:
- What is still good here?
- Where might God be present?
- What support has He already provided?
- What can I receive instead of control?
Step 3: Express Appreciation
Write down one sentence of thanks, send an encouraging message, or take one practical action that reflects gratitude.
For example:
“I am worried about today’s meeting, but I am thankful that I have prepared, that I am not alone, and that God can guide me through it.”
This is not denial. It is trust in practice.
You Do Not Have to Carry Your Life Alone
The heaviest burden you may ever carry is the burden of your own effort—the belief that everything depends on you.
Jesus offers a different way.
He invites you to walk with Him, learn from Him, and allow Him to carry what you were never meant to carry alone.
Gratitude helps you keep pace with Him.
So remember:
“Worry about nothing; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.”
—Philippians 4:6, NLT
This is more than a comforting verse. It is a practical way to respond when worry begins to take over.
Join the Live LIGHT 70-Day Gratitude Challenge
If you are growing weary from trying to do good while carrying too much pressure, the Live LIGHT 70-Day Gratitude Challenge can help you build a daily gratitude practice.
Sign up free through the link below and begin tomorrow morning—before the worries of the day begin to pile up.
The worries will come. But with practice, gratitude can become a new response.
May the Lord bless you and keep you. May His peace rest on you as you learn to give thanks with your whole heart.
Learn more and join the free challenge: https://revtrev.link/thanks
Trevor Lund helps capable and caring people move from striving and stress toward peace and purpose as they rediscover and enjoy the life God created them for. He encourages through his blog, podcast, and live broadcasts at revtrev.com, shares his writing at trevorlund.com, and teaches through Live LIGHT Academy.