Contentment in Uncertainty
Being content in all circumstances is easy to say, and it is easy to feel when times are good. What happens, though, when the sickness won’t end or the baby just won’t stop crying? Your child brought home yet another note about their behavior that day. Sometimes our circumstances can make contentment feel like a fantasy.
Maybe we can justify the present moment and remind ourselves that that is now and not forever. Even the most challenging times can be talked through and processed so that satisfaction can be felt. Looking at what Paul said in Phillipians about being content in all circumstances (Phillipians 4:11-13) might even feel like a possibility. Afterall, he said those words while being chained up in a jail cell. If he can be content, why can’t I?
Then what happens when uncertainty comes? You are waiting for the test result, the adoption, or maybe you don’t know when the next job is coming. Contentment in that does not seem possible. The only thing that seems possible are worse-case scenarios and anxiety.
The Wave of Uncertainty
As we ride this wave of uncertainty sometimes it can feel like we are on top of it like a surfer is riding a wave. We can push the situation out of our mind and move forward. Then the wave comes crashing down, and the thoughts are even stronger than before. The result: more mind spirals and more anxiety. It seems that no matter what we do the wave just feels like it just gets bigger and bigger.
Next Steps
The good news is that you are not alone. Sometimes it might feel alone on that board, because we fail to see that there are others riding along side of us.
Acknowledge the uncertainty
Instead of pushing the thought out, what would happen if you acknowledged that that uncertainty exists for the present? Sit with it and be honest. Does it scare you? Admit it. The thought can lose some of its power just by acknowledging that the thought is there.
Admit what you can control and cannot control
Part of Paul’s contentment came from knowing that he could not bring on contentment. He sited all the things that he had no control over (whether he was well fed or hungry, clothed or naked) and he admited that he had no control.
When we feel out of control in uncertainty our instinct is to try to maintain that control somewhere else. Anywhere else. His contentment came because he released what he could not control. For him it was about releasing that control to God.
Bring on your support system
We were never designed to face life alone and in times of uncertainty we need to lean on others. It is not a sign of weakness or giving up. For some it might mean seeking out friends and others might need a support group. Still others might include a counselor as a part of that support system.
There is Hope
Uncertainty is a time that all people face, but you do not have to face it alone. If you feel alone during this time seek out help. Counselors can provide that source of support to process and learn new skills so that the wave no longer feels like a tsunami.
Reach out by calling or filling out the contact sheet below. There is hope, and you are not alone.