" Seasons of uncertainty"

                            "But the righteous will live by his faith" ( Habakkuk 2:4)

Uncertainty in my life makes me anxious. I'm a planner! I like to know when, where, how, who.... Maybe that's the teacher in me. Making a lesson plan and putting it into to its own little box makes me have a sense of inner peace. Of course as a former school teacher I knew that as a teacher one must always be able to roll with the unexpected, to be flexible in those daily plans that were so carefully crafted every weekend. However, having some sense of what the week should look like made me feel pretty secure.

Then I became a stay at home mom! At first there was a sense of panic, because you cannot make a lesson plan for a newborn and then just go about the workday! I had recently just been born myself, that is my born again ,saved by Jesus. It had not been but a little over a year before my first child was born. I was learning to walk, talk and eat solid food in Christ as my babies were learning these things in the natural. God was showing me to walk by faith in my everyday duties as a mom. 

Flash forward 20 plus years. Suddenly the world is hit with a pandemic that changed everything we ever knew. Major uncertainty abounded. To add to this season of the unknown, my husband and I went through multiple life changing events: moving, remodeling a house, death of a parent,  empty nest, to name a few. 

For all of us living in this world, we are in some very uncertain days. Add that general fact to your personal situation.  It can feel overwhelming and anxiety provoking for sure! The Lord has been reminding me quite often of the fact that I was saved by grace through faith and I must continue to live by faith. 

Faith. What is faith? Hebrews 11:1 defines this for us ; " Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen"  If we keep reading ,we come to verse 6 which tells us just how critical faith is in our lives,  " and without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him" 

 In uncertain times, seasons of the "great unknown" we must not get sucked into the rushing waters of doubt and fear. Instead we must hold on to what we do know. We know that God loves us and is faithful even when we can't see what is happening around us. We trust Him to be who He says He is and to keep His promises we find in His word. 

 When we go through life changes ( moving, children moving out , illnesses, etc.) there is a whole bunch of things " NOT seen" but the one thing we have "seen" is Jesus. Maybe not with our physical eyes, but for the follower of Christ, out spiritual eyes have been opened! And we see Him at work in our lives every single day if we simply slow down and make time to spend alone with Him.

Life can roll us! We can get turned upside down and inside out by circumstances. However, regardless of life's curveballs one thing remains true: Jesus Christ is the  same yesterday and today; yes and forever." (He 12:8) Hang on to the things you do know to be true about God and put your trust in that. This is what brought me through a great season of uncertainty and continues to anchor my soul!

If you are in a a season of  uncertainty, walking in a valley of the unknown, be encouraged! Jesus is walking with you and He knows all the details that you do not. He will not leave you nor abandon you ,but see you through it all.  His love is unchanging. Cling to that and trust Him. He is for you ,not against you. He has a reason for allowing you to be right where you are. We walk by faith and not by sight!