The list of worries is long. The surgeon general has recently released a report about the stress of parenting. But the kids are also anxious as they race from soccer to band. And often Grandma and Grandpa carry their unique burdens. And those who deal with the homophobia or the racism baked into our social fabric carry too much fear. But I’m single and I also worry…

Rueben P. Job writes “I didn’t want it to happen, but it did. Before I knew it, anxiety found its way into my restless heart and robbed me of the peace promised to all who place their trust in God.” I came across this quote in a prayer book published more than 20 years ago. So while we may experience unusual expressions of anxiety in 2024, the truth is that part of what it means to be human is that we worry.

Even in the days of Jesus, when folks lived without cell phones and artificial intelligence and national elections, they worried. That is why the early Christians were advised “Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Phil 4:6-7).

And in the days when God’s people were still nomads, wandering under the brilliant night constellations and seeking a dusty spot of ground to call home, they prayed “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters.” 

I will not say “don’t worry” because we are human and we long for wholeness and peace. We search for love and human connection. We demand justice and a sense of meaning, so we will definitely worry. But as Christians, we need not worry alone. God, the one who sent Jesus in human form to walk this earth with us, will guard our hearts and minds. God will hold us and carry us through until we glimpse, even fleetingly, the peace that surpasses all understanding.

Grace and Peace,

Carla