{"id":598,"date":"2017-01-27T20:43:25","date_gmt":"2017-01-27T20:43:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/yourmorningcupofinspiration\/?p=598"},"modified":"2017-01-27T20:43:25","modified_gmt":"2017-01-27T20:43:25","slug":"how-to-deal-with-uncertainty","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/yourmorningcupofinspiration\/2017\/01\/how-to-deal-with-uncertainty.html","title":{"rendered":"How to Deal with Uncertainty"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"nature-sky-sunset-manA\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Most of us are pretty good at handling problems. Once we know what the issue is, we can create a plan to solve it.\u00a0 Or we can start the process of accepting what we cannot change.<\/p>\n

Uncertainty is different. When we don\u2019t know what is going to happen, we naturally do one thing \u2013 worry.\u00a0 We think about all the things that could go horribly wrong.\u00a0 And we don\u2019t stop to consider that whatever we are facing could be a blessing in disguise.<\/p>\n

Uncertainty tests our faith in God. I am embarrassed to say that I initially always fail that test.\u00a0 I forget Jeremiah 29:11:<\/p>\n

\u201cFor surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Instead, my first reaction to uncertainty is to think, \u201cGood grief. What now?\u201d\u00a0 And then I run through all the scenarios of what could go wrong, and I try to come up with a solution for each.\u00a0 This little routine of mine takes an incredible amount of mental energy.\u00a0 And it is a complete waste of time.<\/p>\n

I faced an uncertain situation a number of years ago, when I was pregnant with my daughter. At the 8-week point in my pregnancy, the doctor sent me to have an early ultrasound.\u00a0 I was so excited.\u00a0 I couldn\u2019t wait to see that smudgy black-and-white photo with a little blob that the technician would tell me was my baby.\u00a0 So, you can imagine how my face crumpled when the technician told me, \u201cI don\u2019t see a baby.\u201d\u00a0 I went home from the appointment in tears.<\/p>\n

After the ultrasound, the doctor\u2019s office tried to reassure me. They said we\u2019d do another one in a couple of weeks.\u00a0 They said that maybe the baby was \u201chiding,\u201d as if my uterus was a 20-room mansion in which one could \u201chide.\u201d<\/p>\n

For the next couple of weeks, I didn\u2019t know if I was pregnant or not. My body seemed to be changing.\u00a0 I kept getting rounder.\u00a0 So, I kept eating carefully and taking those prenatal vitamins \u2013 just in case.\u00a0 But the uncertainty was hard on me.\u00a0 I kept thinking about how I would have to tell family and friends that my good news was all a big mistake.\u00a0 I felt so sad and disappointed.\u00a0 It never occurred to me to simply go to God.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t think to stop, pray, and say, \u201cGod, not my will, but Thy will be done,\u201d and then release my worry…\u00a0 Of course, my worry was all for naught. That \u201chiding\u201d baby is now a full-grown teenager.<\/p>\n

Uncertainty is an unavoidable part of life. We all go through difficult periods when we don\u2019t know what the outcome will be.\u00a0 There is so much in life that we cannot control.<\/p>\n

However, we can control our response to uncertainty. While our first response to uncertainty may be worry or panic, we want to find ways to quickly move beyond that.\u00a0 My strategy is a three-step process.\u00a0 First, I try to visualize positive outcomes to the situation.\u00a0 Then I release my worries to God, by letting him know my fears and concerns.\u00a0 And finally I commit to accept whatever outcome occurs by saying, \u201cGod, not my will, but Thy will be done.\u201d<\/p>\n

If you are facing an uncertain situation today, know that you are not alone. We all have faced scary situations and wondered, \u201cWill I get through this?\u201d\u00a0 Know that you will.\u00a0 Know that God has a good plan for your life.<\/p>\n

If there is anything that I have learned over the years, it is this: Life is not a straight line. Unexpected things happen.\u00a0 Sometimes they are good, and sometimes they aren\u2019t.\u00a0 But if you remain faithful, God can take any situation and ultimately use it to bless you.\u00a0 So know that in times of uncertainty, God has not left you.\u00a0 He is with you, and He is going to use whatever happens in your uncertain situation for your benefit.<\/p>\n

(Photo Courtesy of Pexels)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Most of us are pretty good at handling problems. Once we know what the issue is, we can create a plan to solve it.\u00a0 Or we can start the process of accepting what we cannot change. Uncertainty is different. When we don\u2019t know what is going to happen, we naturally do one thing \u2013 worry.\u00a0…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":593,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[34],"class_list":["post-598","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-uncertainty"],"yoast_head":"\nHow to Deal with Uncertainty - Your Morning Cup of Inspiration<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/yourmorningcupofinspiration\/2017\/01\/how-to-deal-with-uncertainty.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to Deal with Uncertainty - Your Morning Cup of Inspiration\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Most of us are pretty good at handling problems. Once we know what the issue is, we can create a plan to solve it.\u00a0 Or we can start the process of accepting what we cannot change. Uncertainty is different. 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