What a whirlwind the last 12 months has been. If you would have told me this time last year how 2020 would have panned out, I would have laughed at you and probably thought you were crazy. All of us would have, think about it. A global pandemic, toilet paper shortage, economic shutdown, summer of riots, and an election like none of us have ever seen before. And that is just the highlight reel. It is absolutely overwhelming to think about.

As a mom of 3 girls all under 10, it honestly terrifies me thinking about the world they are growing up in. The morality of our nation seems to be fading as quickly as the sun on these winter nights. If I spend too much time thinking about current events and the state of our world, I can find myself falling into fear. However, as Christians, we are not called to live in fear. As a matter of fact, we are told to not be anxious about anything. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7 That is so much easier said than done.

We need a lot of help in the area of not being anxious. I know for me personally, it is so hard to simply stay mentally present when I feel the pressures moving in. I start going to the what-if scenarios and fear often takes hold. When that happens, I typically just need to get re-centered. Sometimes that re-centering involves talking things through with my husband, reflecting on how God has brought us through tough situations in the past. Other times I will dig through scripture or talk with church friends about what I am going through. More often than not though, It boils down to me getting back in alignment with God through prayer and getting rid of distractions. That method can be tough. It requires me getting real honest with myself and with God about fears that a “good Christian” shouldn’t have, at least in my naive mind.

What’s funny about the world we live in, is that the very thing we need the most sometimes: undistracted focus on God, is often one of the hardest things for us to do. In a world where we are never more than a few feet from a cell phone, television, or computer, the struggle can be real. It’s way easier to mindlessly scroll through your choice of social media than it is to get real about your relationship with God. Honestly, it’s much easier to post beautiful verses and share sermons on your own social media feed under the guise of “witnessing” than it is to allow those same words and sermons really witness to ourselves.

Ouch.

That hurts a little to think about, but sometimes even Jesus would point out painful things to bring about truth (for example, the woman at the well in John 4). What should really wake some of us Christians up, is that He was always the toughest on the people who claimed to be religious. We are expected to know better. We are held to a little higher standard. I think that is true even in the area of trusting. We are told to not be anxious. When those feelings of anxiety arise, we must push in to discover the root of them and, in turn, put the into God’s hands. When Jesus dealt with the most severe anxiety we get a glimpse into, in the garden prior to His crucifixion, we see Him do that very thing. “Then Jesus left them a second time and prayed, “My Father! If this cup cannot be taken away unless I drink it, your will be done.” Matthew 26:42 NLT. He made a choice to trust.

It isn’t a sin to feel fear or anxiety. However, we cannot allow that fear to hinder our God-given calling. We must lean in when, at times, we really just want to give up. Now, more than ever in this uncertain world we live in, we must shut off the distractions and get recalibrated. We have to quit worrying about our Instagram followers, social standing with the “in-crowd”, or if we are keeping up with the Joneses. It’s sad, really, how much effort we, and this definitely includes me, put into things that really don’t last. If we learn nothing else from 2020/2021, I hope that we learn a lesson or two about how much of a house of cards we really live in. Nothing in this life is guaranteed to be easy, but one thing is for sure: we do serve a God who truly does have a good plan for us. We simply need to trust Him.