As I write this post, the country is preparing to celebrate Independence Day.

But I have to admit, I’m not feeling very festive. There has been a grey cloud chasing me this week and I don’t seem to be able to shake it.

My husband asked if everything was OK. And I responded with my usual, “Yes, everything is fine.” But then I started thinking, I’m actually very sad.

We all watched this week as a little piece of what it means to be American was nullified. And with that, anxiety has started to crawl over my shoulders and is attempting to rest around my mind.

Please don’t get me wrong, I’m not intending this post to be a political indictment or a platform for debate. But I wonder what God might say to a country that is rapidly becoming a place where the powerless are marginalized, the powerful are glorified, and the power-seekers self-promoting behaviors and attitudes are justified. I wish I could sit across the table from God, a cup of tea and a warm scone in hand, and listen as he elaborates on who we were meant to be as a country and who we’ve become.

But there is another thought that keeps pressing against my heart. Sitting at that same table, my tea cooled and the scone a memory, I wonder what God would say to me as the topic turns to my acts of justification and struggles with power and control. I wonder if the obvious inconsistencies between my actions and words cause him to question my faith. I would struggle to listen as he elaborates on who he created me to be and who I’ve become.

That grey cloud invited a few thunderheads to join it and now a full-blown storm is on the horizon. And anxiety, well it welcomed its close companions doubt and fear and they have all settled in the back of my mind. But here is what I know. God comes as close as we invite him. He will sit across the table, hold our shaking hands in the middle of his nail-scarred palms, look us in the eyes, and remind us, “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (Roman 8:1)

And that, dear sisters, is the key, being in Christ.  Because when we are in him, we are covered. Our struggles with power and control, our attempts to justify our actions, and all those inconsistencies are remembered no more. Our tally sheet has been erased and we are free.

So today, I plan to watch the world through a renewed perspective trusting God knows what he is doing. For now, the storm clouds are gone and anxiety and his friends are packing their bags and preparing to move. I’ve decided to spend my time sitting side-by-side with my Father, listening to his words of encouragement and clarity, “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name. You are mine.” (Isaiah 43:1b)

Sisters, I will be praying you also choose to linger near your Father. That you decide to trust him over fretting about what might be. And that as you spend time with him and trust what he says, you begin to understand how much he loves you. Because you, dear one, are God’s Beloved.

Be Blessed,