A New Year's Resolution: Don't Worry, Be Happy!

Worried?  Me?  Never . . . 

As we look back on 2025, I want you to imagine something with me for a moment. Picture yourself carrying an invisible backpack. It's filled with all the "what-ifs" and uncertainties you're taking into this new year. What if the economy gets worse? What if my health fails? What if my relationships struggle? What if my job situation changes?  We're great at making New Year's resolutions, aren't we? We promise to exercise more, eat better, read our Bibles daily. But how often do we resolve to worry less and trust God more? How often do we commit to leaning on Jesus instead of relying on our own strength? 

In Philippians chapter 4, verses 6 and 7. Paul writes these powerful words: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." 

Notice that Paul doesn't say "try not to worry" or "worry a little less." He says "do not be anxious about anything." That's a pretty comprehensive statement, isn't it? Paul is offering us God's alternative to the worry that so often consumes our thoughts and steals our peace.  But here's what I love about this passage—Paul doesn't just tell us what not to do. He gives us a clear action plan. Instead of worrying, we're to pray. Instead of carrying our burdens alone, we're to present our requests to God. And notice the key ingredient here—thanksgiving. We approach God not with demanding hearts, but with grateful ones.

Let's be honest about our problem. We're wired to worry. When faced with uncertainty, our first instinct is to strategize, to control, to fix things ourselves. It's human nature. But most of what keeps us awake at night lies completely outside our control! 

We can't control global events. We can't control other people's choices. We can't control future outcomes. Yet we exhaust ourselves trying. We wear ourselves out attempting to manage things that were never ours to manage in the first place.  I think about the farmer who worries about the weather, the parent who lies awake concerned about their adult children's decisions, the employee who stresses about company changes they have no influence over.

Sound familiar?

God offers us a better way. Instead of carrying our anxieties alone, He invites us to bring them to Him through prayer. Every situation. No concern is too small or too overwhelming for God's attention. 

When we do this, we stop seeing problems as threats and start seeing them as opportunities to experience God's peace like it says in verse 7 "the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

This isn't just any peace—this is God's peace. It's a peace that doesn't make sense to the world around us. It's a peace that can exist even in the middle of storms.  God's peace isn't the absence of problems—it's His presence in the midst of them. It's not about having all the answers, it's about knowing the One who does. When we trade our worry for His peace, we discover something beautiful: His strength really is made perfect in our weakness.  I've seen this in my own life.

God is faithful. His mercies are new every morning. His love never fails. This year, let's learn to worry less and trust more. Let's discover that His peace really is waiting for us.

Don’t worry.  Be happy!

~Pastor Todd Creason