Jesus saves us from worry...

The brutal end of summer has arrived. Not 20 seconds ago, I said good bye to one of our graduates, who is heading to MCC for the school year. A little over 20 minutes ago I finally got to tell kids to go home because it was a school night. CIY and VBS, composed the last push of the summer and my last a3 weeks of insanity.

Tonight, Aaron Jones taught us about worry. He asked the kids what they worried about. It was interesting to hear their answers. I originally thought worry was an adult problem. It is something that many adults struggle with, but you wouldn't think Jr. High students would have a problem with it. Then I thought back to my own days in Jr. High School. Worrying about: whether anyone would set beside me at lunch; who do I set with on the bus; can I actually fit in my locker; do I have to shower in gym class. These thoughts coursed through my mind as Jr. High school approached. I laugh on them now, but it was a scary ordeal in those days. You might not know it now (and I do a pretty good job of hiding it), I suffered from a crippling shyness during my prepubescent years, an insecurity that followed me around until college. Jr. High is an anxiety attack to many kids. Aaron challenged us from Philippians 4 and Romans 8.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Aaron showed us that through prayer and a relationship with Christ, we can be free of the worry that traps us in our lives. He then took us to Romans 8 and showed us how the very things that we worry about are the things that Paul says that will not separate us from God's love. School, making the team, death, grades, money; all these things Paul has addressed in Romans 8. They are all part of creation; or challenges; or our future.

It makes me think about the things that I worry about, for I am convinced that our lives our filled with much more worry than Jesus ever wanted for us.