What anxious people need more than anything is peace, especially peace of mind. On Black Friday I went into one of those fancy stores that sells watches. The store was crowded and I could barely make my way to the counter. I was on a mission. I had a watch that needed a battery. I was certain that the last thing any clerk wanted to do on the busiest shopping day of the year was to install a new battery in a watch. Much to my surprise the man said he would be glad to put in a new battery. I could leave it and pick it up later. When I came back, again much to my surprise, he only charged me $5. In the midst of all that craziness I experienced the reality that life goes on and the simplest of things continue in spite of all the craziness. I gratefully left the store, watch in hand, ticking along, marking time for years to come. I felt a sense of peace that God is still in the midst of all the chaos.

What this all says to me is that no matter how anxious the times we live in, God is not far away. The problem is that we are so afraid we miss God's presence. We let those who use scare tactics mislead us. We allow doom and darkness to dominate our lives rather than hope and light. Jesus is telling us that "to understand the world's troubles as omens of doom is to misread them. The world's tribulations and our personal trials can be understood as reasons for us to remain faithful, hopeful and optimistic."