So be it.
I woke up from a nightmare at 2 a.m. this morning in which I was supposed to take a graduate school test I hadn’t studied for, nor had I taken a college class in twenty-eight years. As silly as this fear was, I had so much adrenaline pouring through my system that it took me over an hour to relax and fall back asleep.
In the U.S., 43% of people said they felt more anxious than the prior year, and roughly 1 out of 5 people receive an anxiety diagnosis (The Anxiety Checklist, July 2, 2026).
Why are we so worried? People today live longer than our ancestors did 200 years ago. There’s less disease, less food scarcity. Most of us haven’t lived through a world war. Fewer people are doing backbreaking work, and workplaces are less dangerous than they were in the mills and factories 100 years back.
Yes, we have concerns that are legit, but why can’t we shrug them off and say, “So be it.”
I typically think of this phrase as being said with a snarky tone and a shoulder shrug. Like how teenagers used to say “whatev” (whatever but with an eye roll). Add one word at the end, and it changes the tone and context—going from uncaring and rebellious to caring deeply but handing over any concerns in humble surrender.
“So be it, God.”
A synonym would be “Amen.” Every time we end a prayer with an amen, we’re declaring, “So be it, God!”
Mary displayed this awe-inspiring trust after the angel told her that the Holy Spirit would come on her and she would conceive and give birth to a son and His kingdom would have no end. Her simple response was “May it happen to me as you said.”
Mary had every reason to be anxious. God was coming to visit her, and He had big plans. I would have been dusting and cleaning every corner of my room until it sparkled, and lying awake all night, wondering what would happen. My neurotic side would be practicing lines for what to tell Joseph and my parents. But Mary basically says, so be it, God.
Psalm 55:22 says, “Cast your cares on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken.” To cast doesn’t mean to cope with, manage, handle, or carry. It means to throw our cares at Jesus’s feet—toss them fully to Him.
I want to cast mine over, but so often I hang onto a piece or tell God that I’ll have a go at it, and as a last resort I’ll hand it over to you. Why do I hang onto test-taking worries from 30 years ago when Psalm 55 clearly says God will sustain me and never let the righteous be shaken? I should be dusting off my palms with a smile, saying, “So be it, God.”
God has the power. He spoke the universe into existence. Jesus spoke and calmed the storm that threatened to sink the disciples’ boat by saying, “Peace, be still.” He knows how to quiet the storms in our troubled hearts.
Philippians 4:6-7 states, “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.” God commands us not to be anxious about anything, but verse seven is interesting because God doesn’t say He’ll guard our finances, our territory, or even our health. He says I will guard your hearts and minds.
God knows where we need protection, how we store our worries in our hearts and minds. He promises to sustain us, but it’s up to us to relinquish our anxieties, to surrender them and say, “So be it, God.”
Amen.