“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid. “
– John 14:27 

We are living in an unknown time. We don’t know how far the Covid-19 virus will spread. We don’t know if someone we love, or we ourselves, will become infected. We don’t know how long it will take to flatten the curve or be able to venture out and about freely again. We don’t know a lot of things and living in the unknown is a scary thing. 

How do we stay calm and peace-filled in the midst of the fear and anxiety of this situation? We turn to the One who is with us through it all – God. God, through Jesus, reassures us that we can have peace because he gave us this peace. It is not a peace which is the absence of conflict or challenge, but peace in knowing that we are being cared for and upheld in the midst of it. 

I have shared before with several people that over the past four years I have several bouts of anxiety. One was so bad that my weight dropped to the point that my doctor became concerned. I have had to reach out for help to process what was going on and find the reassurance to work through the anxiety, and was prescribed medications to help me through that time. 

Even the most faithful of people will still feel anxious, and that’s okay. In the midst of the fear and anxiety, reach out. Reach out to your doctor or counselor, reach out to your family and friends, and reach out to the one who offers you peace. God give us a peace beyond understanding to carry us through all the circumstance we face in life. Even when it doesn’t feel like it, God is there to uphold and reach out to us. May we allow the peace and love of God to be a source of calm and strength to carry us through this time and through the rest of our lives. 
In Christ’s service, 
Pastor Beth