I know many of you will be stressing right now. There are many unknowns – not least due to the coronavirus! You may have exams looming this summer or be stretching into the wide world of work. Stress is very common, particularly in times of change. Believe me, as we welcome a new Bishop things have been a bit stressy for us too; what will he be like? Will he change everything? What if he doesn’t like us? There are so many unknowns…
In times of stress, it is possible to lose your head. You begin to do or say things you wouldn’t usually do or say. Stress or anxiety can have a physical effect on your body or make you feel as if you have the weight of the world on your shoulders and no one will understand.
In this time of lent, we are invited to be with Jesus in the desert. We are challenged to empty ourselves of our own needs and desires and focus entirely on God’s will for us.
As I look back through my life, the times I have felt closest to God are the most difficult and challenging times of my life…and guess what? I’m still here! God has carried me through the stress, tears, loneliness, sickness, and unknowns. He has not just carried me, He has lifted me to a place beyond where I could imagine.
So in times of anxiety or stress, trust Him, fall on Him, and let Him lift you to where He knows you need to be.