My friend has a new puppy who loves pizza.

After many failed efforts to keep the dog from bothering family members during the dinner hour, especially when they have pizza, she downloaded a dog obedience class.

Apparently it's not that hard to keep your dog from stealing pizza, according to this class. And it's not by convincing the dog that pizza is bad, but by having the animal believe that there's something better.

In this case, it's a crunchy dog treat. Just the sound of the shaking box is enough to keep the puppy calm even when a steaming slice of pizza is waved in front of his nose.

Apparently dogs have amazing self control.

And so do we.

On Sunday we will hear a well-known piece of advice from Jesus, he bids his disciples, 'Do not let your hearts be troubled.'

Yes, we know that worry and anxiety have deep roots in us, much of which we have no control over as they are residual gifts from our evolved past.

However, this Bible passage hints at a sense of agency, Jesus tells us not to let this happen.

And, like my friend's puppy, we do well not to denigrate anxiety, but to set our sights on something better.

Do looming job cuts keep us up at night?

How about the medical challenges of a friend?

The stability of our closest relationship?

Or the desperate suffering of the hungry, homeless, and abused?

We are not to let these worries take center stage, but allow God's provision to. Jesus bids us to set our sites on the things above, not on the things below. He promises to take care of what we eat, what we wear, and where we live.

We have a choice.

Let us choose wisely.