Feeling Overwhelmed? Discover Peace!
By Pastor Rachel White
Pastor of Alpha & LifeGroups
“Cast all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7). Is there anyone else who needed to hear those words today?
The new year is exciting, hopeful and full of fresh potential, but the energy and momentum it takes to get those new habits and goals into motion while getting kids back into school and navigating all the ordinary challenges of life can quickly get exhausting. The emotional energy it takes to be present to people and tasks at hand, the organization and co-ordination it takes to multi-task and keep up with the pace of life… sometimes it can be a lot!
If you can relate, I encourage you to take a moment with me to take a deep breath, and cast all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. The pressure to perform, the fear of letting someone down, the inner doubts and insecurities that arise in times of stress; give them all to him. I preach to myself first and then share this message of hope with you…we don’t have to be God. That job is taken! We don’t need to be perfect. Jesus is the one who justifies us! We don’t have to fight for proving our own value and worth. We are more loved than we could ever know! Let’s settle into our “in Christ” identities and stay there; experiencing the peace of Christ that passes all understanding.
And then in that place, let’s ask the Holy Spirit to fill us anew. Let’s ask God to solve our problems instead of trying to fix them all ourselves, let’s spend intentional time rehearsing in our minds the truth that God speaks over us instead of the lies of the enemy, let’s live into the freedom that Christ won for us.
As I write this, my week has been nothing short of chaotic, but Christ is my anchor in the storm, my peace when all around is swirling. I give him all the credit that we are about to launch Alpha with a full team next week and that we got to host a regional training this week that equipped 37 people to lead Alpha with their churches. While there are still many unknowns about what next week will bring (please keep praying and inviting people to attend Alpha which starts on Wednesday!), I am confident that he has good plans, and he will do good by his Church. We are held in his hands, and he is taking care of us!
Our two greatest needs for Alpha launch on January 15 are this: getting invited guests to register (www.gigharboralpha.com) so we can make plans for food, table placement and leadership, and prayer…we need people to come and pray on a Wednesday night. You can sign up to pray one time or more here!
Pastor Rachel