“Cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7 ESV).
School Starts, Anxiety Increases
Who has anxiety at the beginning of a new school year? Everyone! Teachers worry about getting rooms ready, student relationships, and forms that need to be completed and filed. Students worry about the end of summer and entering a new grade, and parents worry about how will my child fit in, what will they learn, will they thrive?
A picture that went viral on the Internet last year of John Unger and his 19-year-old rescue dog, Schoep, floating in Lake Superior reminds me of 1 Peter 5:7. Schoep, who passed away last month at age 20, had crippling and painful arthritis. He could hardly walk or sleep due to the pain. Every day, Unger took Schoep in the water and held him so that the buoyancy of the water relieved the pain and allowed him to sleep in Unger’s arms.
God’s Promise
God makes a promise to us in 1 Peter 5:7. Many of us try to “swim on our own” or “fight His grip” but only when we snuggle in close does the promise come true. We teach a God who wants all of us to find peace in His arms. We teach a God that promises us a safe place near Him — a safe place free of anxiety, but not free of danger, a safe place where we can rest on Him. May you be found in that safe place this year. May You be a tool of the Holy Spirit that teaches children and their families that God wants to hold them and give them that peace also.
Photo courtesy: http://stonehousephotoblog.com
