He will be like a tree that is planted near water. It sends out its roots beside a stream. It is not afraid when heat comes. Its leaves are always green. It does not worry when there is no rain. It always bears fruit.” Jeremiah 17:8

Do not worry . . . How to really do it? See how many times do not worry is mentioned in scripture (see below) and yet we separate ourselves from this promise; we sneak in a worry or two because we just don’t think that sort of freedom is possible. And change brings worry. Look at segmentation–it’s the epitome of change. Not to mention the challenges set forth by the new reimbursement landscape. So with so much change, how to trust? With so much change, how do we embrace the good seeds of change while uprooting the weeds of fear? Let us practice. Let us pray.

Going forward, Lord, I would like not to fear and not to worry. Help me, because distance from fear and worry is a “tall” order. But you know my anxiety. You know what surrounds me and I ask you to keep it from me, to silence the voice of fear with the stillness of your concrete faith–to know it, to feel it, to pray and then release it to you, to rely on you for the solution. Help me practice. We love you God. We need you. Amen.

Endless scriptures on do not worry. Here are a few–Matthew 6:25-27, Psalm 55:22, John 14:1, Matthew 6:34, Philippians 4:6, Proverbs 1:33, Isaiah 7:8, Jeremiah 17:8, Mark 13:11, Luke 11:11-22, 1 Cor. 16:10 . . . .

Dianne Timmering,
Vice President of Spirituality