In a world rife with uncertainty—whether it’s political instability, global crises, or personal struggles—our emotional responses can often feel overwhelming. Recently, Curtis Chang welcomed Rev. Summer Joy Gross to The Good Faith Podcast for a profound discussion on how our attachment to God can significantly influence our anxieties surrounding these issues. As a spiritual director and expert in Attachment Theory, Gross brings a unique perspective on how to navigate these turbulent times with faith and intentional spiritual practices.

Moving beyond avoidance and frustration involves confronting and understanding our anxieties rather than escaping them. By deepening our spiritual practices and strengthening our attachment to God, we can learn to fully trust in Him for a sense of internal security that transcends the external chaos.

Rev. Summer Joy Gross offers valuable insights into how our spiritual attachments influence our emotional responses to both global and personal issues. Through intentional spiritual practices and a focus on developing a secure attachment to God, we can find greater peace and resilience amid life’s uncertainties.

This excerpt has been edited for length and clarity.

Rev. Summer Joy Gross: Spend time bringing up your anxiety before the Lord, knowing that God is attuning to us, that he cares about our daily things, he cares about the big things. And he wants to attune to us in that place and help to regulate us, bringing truth in his kindness and tenderness and compassion to those feelings.

Curtis Chang: It sounds like in a sense these sort of responses to traumatic world events are almost an opportunity to get re-parented in a way. So if we didn’t get the proper attunement from our parents, let’s say when we got bullied at school or something like that – when we face a big bully in the world stage now that creates that same sense of fear and trauma, this is an opportunity to get re-parented by God so that we experience a heavenly parent that is tuning in, that is helping us regulate our emotions.

Rev. Summer Joy Gross: Yeah, that’s fantastic. The truth is that attachment with God is built one cry and response at a time. So if we try to hold it in and we allow it to get huge kind of balloon within us and only bring it to God when it feels opportune or when we’re at church or at specific times, then maybe at that time it’s too big. But if we allow ourselves to connect each day to what’s going on on the inside and allow God to tune in with us, then that every cry can experience His kindness, His tenderness, His care, and His truth about us.