Back to School!

By: Lizzie Williams

It’s the beginning of the new school year… YIKES!! If you’re anything like me, you might be getting a little anxious. New classes, new professors, a new apartment and bus schedule. Everything is new and different! Again, I say… yikes. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m super excited to be back at school with my amazing friends and super cool new roommate (love you Brooke), but I’ve gotten so comfortable back at home and now things are changing again. This could be a devotion on God pushing us out of our comfort zones and how change isn’t always bad, but I’ll save that for another time. Instead, I want to talk about how God is greater than anxiety. This morning during my quiet time, I stumbled across one of my favorite passages in the Bible: Matthew 6:25-34.

25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Here I am being a big goofball and worrying about stuff that isn’t even in my control. I’m worried about what I’m going to cook or what my classes will be like, but none of that is worth the stress. God has it under control, and we just need to trust Him and glorify Him in the meantime. I know it’s a lot easier said than done, so let’s hop over to one of my other favorite passages: Philippians 4.

6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

How do you stop being anxious about the new year? 1: pray about it and 2: think about the good things in life. That’s what I’m going to do, and I challenge you to do the same! Let’s put our lives in the hands of God and see where he takes us this year!