Uncertain Times

Most of us do not like times in our life that are uncertain. It might be uncertain because of the upheaval in our country. It might be uncertain because you are in a transition or you are making a major life decision. Uncertainty is uncomfortable. We like having everything all spelled out for us. Just show me a sign, God! But Jesus rebuffed Thomas for not believing unless it was all written out for him. Jesus told him, “You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.” John 20:29

So what do we do in uncertain times? It may sound a little contrived, but we have to stay close to God. He is our refuge, our shelter. (Psalm 91) We have to get our minds on Him. If we will put our minds on God and set our hearts to follow Him, everything else will eventually fall into place. Notice I did not say all your troubles will magically disappear. No. But you will have the strength to stand in the middle of those troubles because your source of peace and calm is not the absence of turmoil, it’s the presence of God.

As you choose to keep following Him, even in the midst of turmoil and/or trouble, you will eventually find your way out. I think about being lost in the middle of deep, unfamiliar woods. Your guide says, stay close. Let me tell you, I will be staying close! It might be so dark that the only way to follow your guide is to hold on to his hand or the tail of his jacket. You would hold on for dear life. And that is what we have to do in uncertain times – hold on to God like our life depends on it. Even when our physical life isn’t in danger, our spiritual life depends on it. We need to hold on to God.

I remember a time many years ago. I was single, just graduated from college, getting ready to start my first teaching job. I had been taking summer school and lived in a basement apartment. The person who was staying in that basement apartment during the school year was coming back a week before my new apartment was ready. Fortunately for me, there was another apartment in that same basement that I could stay in for that week. But since I was only going to be there a week I hadn’t really unpacked and it was a very unsettling time for me.

My whole life was in transition and I was living out of boxes in a different place than I had been before. It was smaller and darker and I didn’t know where anything was! A very wise friend asked me if I was going to let circumstances dictate whether I had peace or not. I realized that I needed to bloom where I was planted, even if it was a temporary planting.

So, I unpacked the boxes of my kitchen stuff and made cookies. Yes, I had to pack those boxes back up just a few days later, but in the meantime, I decided to truly live and enjoy life, not thrash around in the water like I was drowning. I gave some of those cookies away and ministered God’s love to others. I stopped and let Him show me His peace. Those several days were ultimately a time of joy instead of a spiral of depression and self-pity.

So, when you are feeling uncertain, stop, listen to God, then make the decision to keep living the life He gave you. That may mean doing something to help others. It may mean doing something to help yourself grow. Ultimately it means following God so close that He can lead you out of the dark and into the light. Here’s to the Light! Cheers!