Anxieties and Hope

​The Grand Canyon ranges from one million years at the rim to 500 million years at the bottom. Wow. I’ve only been to the Grand Canyon once, at the Southern Rim, and it was jaw-droopingly impressive even from the top.

It’s easy to get caught up in the anxieties of the moment--and there are plenty these days.

Yet 500 million years--or even “just” a million years puts 2021, as challenging as it was, and 2022, as uncertain as it is, in a different light.

I’ve always liked that verse from II Peter, “...with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like one day.” (II Peter 3:8) It’s in the context of the second coming of Christ, but more broadly, over the years it has helped me remember that time is not always how it appears to me in the moment.

Paradoxically, keeping the long view can help you with the short term. That loooong perspective can take the pressure off today. It may not be quite as consequential as you think. It may be that we all need to heed the counsel of Psalm 46:10: “Be still, and know that I am God!”
 
Be.
Still.
Know.
God.
 
Knowing this God can lighten our burdens and remake our anxieties into hope! Remember, God works in mysterious ways. Often we don't know what God is doing until after the fact, so be patient and kind to yourself. God is up to something. Take the time to find out!
 
Pastor Tim