How to deal with uncertainty

How to deal with uncertainty. . . .

Well. My life just took a dramatic, unexpected turn. I’m sure I’ll share more in the coming weeks, but for now, let’s just say I’m having to dive off the cliff of uncertainty into the ocean of the unknown.

I don’t know what’s going to happen in the next few months, let alone the next few days.

I’m sharing because we will all have times when things are completely out of our control and we have no option but to surrender.

I mean, the world right now is one ticking time bomb of uncertainty.

That’s a tough place to be. . . . or could it be the best place?

If you feel like what you want in your control isn’t in your control, here are some ways I get to surrender.

How to deal with uncertainty

When God’s power ignites

When living in Costa Rica, we were in a season of being fully dependent on God for everything. It was then I had some of the most radical, life-changing, and miraculous experiences of my life. Because we had to be completely dependent and had no control or certainty, I was walking in a daily connection, surrender, and cadence with God, and it led to experiences I could have never created on my own.

The times you have no control or certainty, the times you are the weakest, are the exact times His power ignites and you can access power that isn’t your own like never before.

That sounds cliche or annoying to say, ‘when you are weak, He is strong’, until you catch an experience of it. It’s like your tank is completely empty, and you are in the middle of nowhere and have no resources to do anything about it, so you turn to Him, and all of a sudden, there is gas in it.

He has resources when you don’t and He wants to give them to you.

It’s a scary, uncomfortable, but also thrilling place to be because, in a state of total surrender, you are allowing His will to be done. His will may look different than what you thought you wanted, but it might lead to something better than you could have ever imagined.

When uncertainty creeps in, I repeat over and over

I trust You.

You are good.

You are kind.

You have the best for me.

I surrender my free will to you, I ask that you guide my every thought and action. My time my mind my hands are yours, let it be done to me according to your will.

Surrendering your free will and your ideas of how you think your life should go and accepting what He has for you might take you on a wild, unexpected, and unplanned journey, but whatever He has for you is better than anything you could create yourself.

I’ve seen that. I trust that. Even now.

Play with perception

There are a lot of paradoxes in psychology—the harder you try to fall asleep, the less likely you will; the more you try to avoid thinking negative thoughts, the more likely they will pop into your head; and often, your greatest meaning in life can come from your greatest pains.

Uncertainty is hard, but hard isn’t the same thing as bad.

Sometimes all I need is a reframe of how I perceive what is happening:

• Maybe this is what is needed now and it’s leading to something amazing I never imagined.
• The language you use very much influences how you experience a situation: Have to ? Get to . I can’t ? I’ll figure it out. I don’t like ? what do I need? Not fair ? don’t care.
• Instead of focusing on the problem, ask- what do I want? Who do I want to become?
• Quality questions lead to a focused mind and creative solutions. Ask questions that challenge you, force you to get creative, and invite your imagination to go into overdrive. What if I could. . .? What is a way that I would be able to . . . ? Who can show/help me . . ? What is a new way to do . . .

The opposite of uncertainty:

The opposite of uncertainty is not certainty; it’s presence. Sometimes only when everything is so up in the air and out of control are you forced to be present and take it day by day because you have no other option.

But that’s what’s best for us. That’s actually how we need to live to be thriving. Not thinking about the scary future and not ruminating on events of the past. But fully here, giving the best you got to today, and every day. And uncertainly as a hidden gift, forces you to do that.

Your job is love, gratitude, and expectancy, not control or certainty. 

My life on earth:

I like to think of my life as a story. One that I will rewatch when I enter into eternity. One that people are watching now.

You have to view your life like the story that it is. Every movie and show you watch has some bat crazy things happen, that’s why you watch it. The most engaging shows are often those that have the most obscene, unexpected, and often heartbreaking twists.

Our lives are the ultimate story, and we get to learn how to create amazing things and we get to learn how to roll with whatever gets thrown our way. It’s all part of it.

When I step outside of myself and view my life as a story playing out, I think: Dang! that’s wild, hard, exciting, sad, unexpected. . . I did not see that coming. . . . I can’t wait to see what happens next!