. . . accepting that you don’t have the answer.
I can’t put it any simpler than that, but some explanation is needed. This seemingly non-answer to a problem that perplexes all of us comes from my own experience.
Like you, I sometimes find life in today’s fast-paced, constantly-changing-and-demanding world to be unmanageable. We all do the best we can to cope with difficult people, snarled traffic, unruly technology, terrifying world events, maddening situations at home and work, unexpected crises. . . . The list is endless. We experience our stress as mounting tension in our bodies, swirling questions in our minds, aching emotions in our hearts.
I’ve tried many coping strategies, from attempting to reorganize and reprioritize my life, to getting support from people who care about me, to learning from spiritual teachers and self-help gurus. But ironically enough, the answer that has worked best for me sounds like no answer at all: When I acknowledge that I don’t have the answer and neither does anyone else, I have nowhere else to turn but to the Lord. And that’s the answer that has never failed me.
This Sunday we’ll focus on the extraordinary promise God makes to us in Jesus Christ. It’s the promise that, whatever we’re dealing with, Christ is the answer to our need. The words of Ephesians 2 will prepare us to receive the Lord’s Supper: “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace. . . . So he came and proclaimed peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near.”
Whatever stress you’re under, come to worship in the confidence that you will find the answers and the strength you need in the bread and cup of this holy meal.
With love and blessings,
Evan