Every month we submit an article to Great Shelford's monthly magazine. Here is our latest contribution for the September 2026 edition.

The Start of a Journey

“I lift up my eyes to the mountains - where does my help come from?”
(Psalm 121:1)

September marks a turning point in the year. The temperatures cool and new routines begin, as summer afternoons at the park or beach (or office with an open window) fade into memory. For many of us, the start of the school year is significant. Children may have new teachers, classrooms, subjects, or new schools. Teachers have new students, timetables, and other new duties. Outside of school, other classes and clubs that have taken a break for the summer often begin again. (Of course, for some of us, the main change we experience in September is more traffic on our commutes!)
 
All these changes can be very exciting, full of the promise of new friendships and experiences. It can also feel quite daunting to enter the unknown, or to return again to the known challenges of the months ahead. When worry enters your mind, where do you turn for help? What coping strategies do you use? Some people practice some form of mindfulness and intentionally slowing breathing down to calm the nervous system. For some, the focus goes on being as prepared as possible: what can we know about what’s coming and how can we be ready for it?
 
In my Bible, Psalm 121 begins with a statement and a question: “I lift up my eyes to the mountains – where does my help come from?” The picture is of someone at the start of an arduous upward climb, with potential dangers along the way, wondering to themselves how they will get through it. Then the writer immediately answers their own question: “My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.” (Psalm 121:2) Who better could there possibly be to help someone on a big mountain climb than the One who made the mountains themselves? The rest of the psalm them reflects on how this God, this Maker, great and mighty as He is, shows loving care for each person who looks to Him for help. What an amazing promise!
 
So, as you consider your path ahead and the people and places you may turn for help, maybe in between your deep breaths you’d like to utter a prayer that if there is a Maker of heaven and earth, you might know Him and He might help you.
 
God bless,
Monica Cragg, assistant minister