There is very little we can actually control.

I think we all feel the truth of that these days; as we watch yet another catastrophe unfold; as we hear of loved ones gone far too soon; as those leading our nation seem to be, at best, asleep at the wheel.

And people are so stinking mean to each other! My best friend actually unfollowed me on Instagram the other day. We haven’t seen eye to eye on practically anything in the past two years. Fun times.

It can be enough to make a girl a bit anxious about the future.

Thankfully, there is still hope.

In this world? Not a chance.

But in Christ we have a hope that can never be extinguished.

In light of the fact that everything is drunk and needs to go home, I propose we place all of our fears and lack of control in God’s hands and focus on what we can do to bloom in this crazy garden in which we find ourselves planted.

It’s time to shut out the meaningless words this mindless generation is trying to shove down our throats. It’s literally just noise. Instead, what if we make time to sit with the Creator of the universe and meditate on his Word?

What if we work quietly with our own hands and mind our own business? As in, we take care of home and create a peaceful place our people feel cared for in? And we look in on our neighbors, meeting their needs where we can? What if we ditch our constant striving and dig in; sharing the ups and downs, celebrations, and hardships of life with the real, imperfect people who make up our local church?

What if we get rid of social media and spend our days teaching our kids life skills; both basic and eternal? What if, with hands sticky from kneading dough, our children let the events of the day spill out and we take the opportunity to be invested in their lives? And what if we taught them to seek God for themselves, so that when they are confronted with hard things they’ll have a solid place to stand?

What if we actually lived as though God’s ways are kinder and better than the wokeism that is ravaging our society, and we sought actual wisdom instead of the applause of strangers and acquaintances?

We still have to live in this world. But what if we choose to do so with hope and purpose? What if our anxiety is replaced by a peace and a steadiness that causes others to wonder how they can have the same?

It’s worth a try.

Angela