This week I handed in the first paper for my Doctor of Ministry program. It has been 15 years since I last had to produce papers or complete assignments for school. While it is certainly different and new at the doctoral level, a lot of those memories and feelings from another time in my life have been on my mind. 

When I was in high school, I remember the pressure I felt to do well. I was a busy kid with sports, music and church. Most nights of the week I had one or two practices for either a sports team, orchestra or musical group. I also remember how classes and homework started to take on more importance, as doing well was an important step in getting into university. 

When I would feel particularly stressed or burdened trying to balance school and extracurricular activities, I would workshop with myself worst-case scenarios: What if I failed a test? Failed a class? Couldn’t graduate? Didn’t get into university? 

Somehow imagining the worst of what could happen and then thinking of backup plans allowed me to worry less about the things on my plate and actually get them done. 

At present, worst-case scenarios globally and all the problems that the world is facing these days are not a good place to start. For instance: What would happen if just one of the many people with their hands on the little red button actually pressed it? Or what would happen if COVID suddenly became two or three times as deadly? Or what if the Earth’s temperature keeps rising? 

Those are worst-case scenarios for which only prayer and mutual consolation can help. 

Then there are those of us who are worried about the cost of bananas, losing a job, sharing with a loved one a particularly vulnerable feeling, singing the wrong note in choir, making a mistake on our taxes or any number of things. Sometimes just playing out the worst that could happen is a way to realize that the worst might not be as bad as we feared, or that following through with a plan B might not be so difficult. 

As congregations and faith communities face a lot of change and big questions, it is easy for us to fear bad things happening and do everything we can to avoid worst-case scenarios. 

However, allowing ourselves the time and space to slow down and consider just what might come next after the worst-case scenario could alleviate a lot of our worries and stress. 

In fact, as followers of Jesus, we know that God is not one to run away from a worst-case scenario, but to face it head-on… and then surprise us all on the Third Day with the news that on the other side of the worst-case scenario, there is new life.