Dear CCPC Family,

For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord,
plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.
Then when you call upon Me and come and pray to Me, I will hear you.
When you search for Me, you will find Me; if you seek Me with all your heart.
-Jeremiah 29:11-13

The "worry gene" -- it has been handed down through my family for generations! What about you, are you a worrier? Do you have a strong need to control situations? I'm not sure if it is the Type A personality, a perfectionist streak, or fear of failure or of the unknown. Who knows! All of these may play a part in creating and sustaining the "worry gene." But if you or a loved one has faced a life-threatening illness or sudden unemployment, you have tasted the reality of loss of control over your life. If you have a teenager who drives a car or you are pregnant with your first child, you too have tasted it. We all experience -- or will experience -- worry and fear and loss of control at some time in our lives. And of course, that realization in itself can also produce worry! How do you deal with worry, fear and doubt? Does it ever go away?

Many years ago, a good friend asked me if I had ever read Jeremiah 29. I was embarrassed to reply that I was really busy and hadn't done much reading of Scripture lately. You see, I was focused on a life-threatening family illness so I was spending most of my time on the tasks of caregiving and... worry. Ever been there? Ever spend your hours worrying, thinking, planning, organizing, and reorganizing? What I wasn't doing was praying. I wasn't sharing my worries and my fears with anyone, let alone God.

So, I picked up my Bible and found Jeremiah 29. I read it over and over and over again. In fact, I started reading it each morning for months. My life has never been the same. It is the closest I have ever been to feeling as though God was in the same room talking to me.

Looking back, I realize it was clearly part of my journey of faith and the sometimes rocky road on which I often stumble -- learning to trust God and turning my worries over to Him.

We all worry, regardless of our faith. It is human. So, the next time the "worry gene" gets the better of you, take time -- even when you think there is no time -- to share your fears, hurts and worries with the One Who knows you best and loves you and always has time to listen... "Be still and know that I am God."

What a friend we have in Jesus, All our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer!

Loving Lord, help me to place my cares and worries in Your hands.
Help me to trust You to guide me, to show me the way,
and to use me for Your purposes. Amen.

Marsha Ray, Associate Director of Music Ministries