It’s been a week since Greta Thunberg made her impassioned plea at the UN, jabbing her finger at the leaders, blaming them for her “lost childhood,” and declaring “how dare you!”
She immediately gained some atta-girls and some criticism. And in the passing week she has been vilified by some and nearly sainted by others. But in all of that, I have noticed that there hasn’t been much said about the thing that, it seems to me, stands out the most.
Greta is terrified.
Now, we could easily dismiss that as teenage angst. Or naiveté. After all she is just 16. Her perspective on the world today is narrow and lacks seasoning from life. At the moment, she is trying to see the future through a pinhole, and it is frightening. And that makes her angry.
But the fact is, there’s a bit of Greta in all of us, a bit of fear that the world is out of control and we can’t stop it. Or that our children won’t be safe, that the stock market will crash, that the lab report will be bad… that the sun won’t shine tomorrow. Truth is, we’re all a little worried.
But here’s the thing–if your worldview fails to consider a biblical perspective, then your worldview is woefully inadequate for handling your fears.
First, remember that fear is nothing new. We fear what we cannot control. Including the environment. Nor is it new to have politicians and media manipulate that fear.
When I was 8, I sat in a class of quivering second graders and watched a short film called “Ark.” It portrays a man managing a greenhouse in the middle of the wasteland left from pollution. To go outside, like everyone else, he wears plastic suits and oxygen breathers. And the film ends with angry people breaching the greenhouse and destroying the only place on the planet that pollution had not already consumed.
It scared the smog out of me! The message was clear: If we don’t change things quickly, pollution will wipe us out! Surely we were facing, as Greta put it, “an extinction level event!” Yep. We’re all gonna die.
And yet–That was 49 years ago, and we’re still here. Things change, scientists learn, and wise people step up and lead. Rather than berating people, I hope Greta learns to give people the benefit of the doubt. When given the chance, leaders have a way of, well, leading.
But still, even the best people are fallible. Fear-prone and anxious. Life is short and the world is a huge, unpredictable mess. And at times, humanity is its own worst enemy. Why? Because, we are sinners.
And that’s where a biblical worldview is essential, critical, fundamental. It’s when we remember that we have a Creator, a Redeemer, and Friend.
It’s when we remember, God’s got this.
The world is the way it is because it is fallen, groaning to be great again (Rom. 8:22) and God knows that this world is not as He intended it to be. But He has a plan (Jer. 29:11).
Why does that matter? Because you can trust Him. You don’t need to worry and you don’t need to be afraid (Matt. 6:34).
We all need to remember that, rather than be afraid and anxious, God calls us to cast that anxiety on Him (1 Peter 5:7). God knows what we do not know and sees what we do not see. The world is not bigger than He is. He never instills fear or confusion, and He never manipulates your emotions (1 Tim. 1:7; Titus 1:2), and He doesn’t make fun of you for feeling afraid (Matt. 9:36, Ps. 86:15).
He just holds you close and says, “I’ve got this” (Ps. 46:1).
One day, someday, all this will end. And in its place, God will make it all new. But not before God says the time has come (Rev. 21:1-8). So what matters more than anything else is that, before that time comes, you make sure that you know Him (John 3:16).
We are all called to do our part. It’s the most basic thing we were created to do (Gen. 1:26). And God will hold us accountable for poor stewardship of His creation. But the truth is, we live in a fallen world, and we are not in control, and there will always be something to fear. Tsunamis, blizzards, hurricanes, pollution, recessions, cancer, small paychecks. Stephen King books.
So—and this is for Greta—when you are afraid, and when you feel no one else is paying attention, lean in, and listen closely: “I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world” (John 16:33).