THE GRACIOUSNESS OF UNCERTAINTY
I loved Oswald Chambers devotional book My Utmost for His Highest. I read over and over again the April 29th reading of The Graciousness of Uncertainty.
There are so many things that could be uncertain to us:
- Will our jobs always be secure or will our businesses be secure?
- Is there a family member who is unwell and maybe getting worse?
- How will we pay our mortgage as the next interest rate rises?
- Why did the group who I thought were my friends, leave me out of a dinner they had?
And let’s be honest, uncertainty can make us feel a lack of confidence. Sometimes wondering why we made that mistake. Or just sensing that there is an ongoing thing of being unsure of our next step that can make it seem at times fearful.
I’ve been there so many times. Something has not worked out. And I thought it was a definite yes. And then suddenly it was a no. And then I started to think about why I must have not been good enough. And why once again, it must have been my lack of confidence. I never stopped to think that it was God saying ‘no, I have something better for you.’
And then there are other times when I have fully trusted God and the same scenario is very different! It’s like that great expectation that if God has said no to something I can almost immediately thank Him for the answer. Even if it always felt like it would be a good situation for me. I just sought His next step for me and lived in the flow of uncertainty- knowing God had the exact right timing for providing whatever it is for me.
And guess what? The next step was always much better than the original thing I thought would be my answer. And there are times when God gives us challenges to help us get stronger and more resilient so we can move to the next step with full confidence.
Uncertainty is gracious. It gives us room to know where God is leading us. It also gives us a sense of graciousness by knowing that as we thank Him we know He will draw to us things that we never thought were possible on our own.
Uncertainty is not the end. As a matter of fact, it is just the beginning. He knows our passions. He knows what we love doing. And He knows that when we lean on Him he gives us the passions we love doing while it also is a beautiful circle because we can use them to help others find their way.
We all should learn to live much more in spontaneous, joyful lives with uncertainty, fun and expectancy!
