Hello all and I hope that everyone who is reading this is healthy and happy! I mean that sentiment now more than I ever have. As the Christmas seasons rolls up on us, many of us are feeling different than we usually do this time of year. Our typical holiday cheer has, in many cases, been replaced with holiday frustration and even some quantities of fear, disillusionment and frustration. While I can’t write, type or otherwise verbalize anything that can fix our current situation, I can proudly and humbly point us all to the one who remains unshaken and, at all times, has everything in hand.

Admittedly, this has been a tough year for everyone and in many respects, there’s no end in sight. No one is sure about vaccinations; nobody knows if it’s safe to go visit Grandma Gene, Aunt Phyllis, or even that creepy Uncle Roger who seems to wear the same sweater to every family gathering. Heck, it’s mid-December and we don’t even know who our next president is going to be! It is safe to say that we are dealing with a time of concern and uncertainty the likes of which we have never seen, and we have no idea how, when or if it’s going to end. However, if we are Christians we need to remember that we are called and even commanded to deal with fear and uncertainty differently than the rest of the world does. Let me share with you what we are told in Philippians 4:6-7:

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”

Now, that sounds like a tall order. Not to worry about anything is a heck of an ask, especially in our current political/social climate. And even though we know what the Bible says, we still offer and hear the same old excuses when it comes to worrying and fretting: “I can’t help it ...,” “You don’t know what I’ve been going through …” and on and on it goes. While I don’t claim to know what everyone is going through and fully admit that this life and world can be incredibly devastating, I still have to pose to Christians this question: Would God really ask us to do something that we are incapable of doing? Of course He wouldn’t. Through Christ, we can do anything He commands. So how do we function in such a tumultuous world without worrying? Well, we do just what He said in that verse. We pray, tell God what we need, and leave it in His capable hands.

But not only that, we are also told to be thankful! That is huge and too many of us miss it. You see, it’s easy to pray about our troubles and then continue to fret about it because we are just so used to doing that. God’s word, however, calls us to change our entire attitude and countenance. We’re told to develop a thankful attitude for what God has done for us. In a world of terror and uncertainty we do more than pray about our troubles; we also need to learn to keep our focus on our Everlasting Father and NOT our present circumstances. Keeping our eyes on the Risen Lord will, naturally, move us from worrying about the world we live in to rejoicing in the One who has already overcome this world!

Developing a more thankful attitude in Christ will ultimately result in that fabled “Peace that surpasses all understanding.” The peace of knowing that we can place our fears, troubles and anxieties in the hands of a God and King who has never failed to live up to His promises will create such joy and peace in the hearts of His children that the whole world can burn around us and we will still praise Him because we know that He is greater than anyone or anything we have to face in this life. We may not have peace of knowing that God will give us everything we ask for, but we can have joy knowing that God is always in charge and nothing is ever out of His control. Let me leave you with this passage from Matthew 6:31-32:

“So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs.”

Have a Merry Christmas, everyone, and don’t worry … God has everything under control.