CW: Talking about upsetting and potentially triggering world issues.
This is a topic I have struggled with for a long time. My whole life I’ve had a tendency to worry about things, but it’s become steadily worse in the last couple of years, because there are simply a lot of things to be worried about right now.
There’s climate change, which seems to be rapidly accelerating and could cause unimaginable damage. There’s AI, which seems almost certain to disrupt the economy, and some say is likely to destroy humanity. The current political situation in the US, where I live, is extremely volatile and could be getting very bad. And there’s also been a rise in conflict around the world, which is already terrible on its own, but there’s also the shadow of nuclear weapons looming over everything, what with at least two nuclear-armed countries actively participating in separate conflicts that could seemingly escalate any time. I really care about the world, and all these things are really hard for me to handle on their own, let alone together.
As Christians, Jesus has told us to not worry and not be afraid, and to trust in God. However, in practice I don’t know if I can do that. I’ve been struggling at times with thoughts of what if God either doesn’t actually exist, or doesn’t have a plan for the world. I certainly think I am failing at truly trusting God.
I’m here to just ask for any help, advice, or just thoughts anyone can provide. Do you find it easy (or easier than I do, at least) to trust God and leave your worries with Him? If so, what do you think might be the factor helping you do that? If anyone feels similarly to the way I do, I would also appreciate knowing I’m not alone in this.
I’m replying to my own thread here, but I have a positive update. I attended a small group connected with my church a few days ago, and we happened to touch on adjacent topics to this one. That conversation helped me realize two things. First, I am definitely not alone as a Christian who worries a lot and can struggle with trusting God. And also, maybe I’ve been thinking a bit too narrowly about what trusting God means. Maybe, rather than it being a firm 100% belief that God will step in and make everything right (I believe that could happen, but I doubt that it will), “trusting God” can simply mean accepting that while the world’s problems are far bigger than me, God and His plans are bigger still, and just letting go and giving Him a chance.
While i don’t consider my worrying issue “solved” yet, I can say that I now have a much better frame of mind than when i created this thread. And to anyone reading this, just know that I am okay, and God is good!
I’m happy to read that you’re in a better frame of mind. I agree that trusting God is often much more about letting go than having 100% certainty. You are definitely not alone in worrying about the world and struggling to trust God.
Trusting God has been a challenge for much of my adult life and I don’t have any silver bullets to offer. But I’ve picked up a few practices here and there have helped some.
One is practicing gratitude - acknowledging and thanking God for the daily experiences, people and events that I find beautiful. Another is to spend time with people that trust God better than I do. Their faith helps inspire me to keep moving forward when I feel trapped in doubt. In the introduction thread you mention being a fan of music. Singing worship songs, especially with others, is sometimes helpful to lift my spirit to a higher place of trust and hope. Lastly, I sometimes think of Jesus in the garden when he says “if it be your will let this cup pass from me” and on the cross when he says “why have you forsaken me?” Tomes could be written on what Jesus meant. But, for me, I wonder if Jesus showed that He, in his humanness, could also worry, could also struggle with trusting God, his Father. And if he does, then he gets me when I struggle with these things too. And that he can certainly help me through it. That was a lot, so feel free to discard anything that you don’t agree with.
In any case, thank you for sharing. I hope that in time you do come to a deeper place of trust in God.
In times like these, I like to remind myself of the Serenity Prayer. “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I can’t change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” God wants us to make a difference in the world and work to make things better. We’re put here for that! But He doesn’t expect us to change everything. We simply cannot. But we can do our part, right? Part of that is being able to recognize what is our part. Sometimes it’s helpful to channel worry about something we can’t change into action on things we can change. Upset about government inaction on climate change? You aren’t part of the government, but you can walk more and drive less, use less plastic, and write your legislators. Upset about the housing crisis? Maybe you can’t cause a legal overhaul, but you can volunteer to help people experiencing homelessness. One person cannot make all the difference, but one person can make one person’s difference. Trying to focus on the big picture of everything outside of our control leads to a paralysis that keeps us from helping what’s inside our control. So, again, I refer to the Serenity Prayer.