Living in a World of Uncertainty with Gratitude

Uncertainty feels like the status quo these days. We live in a world of unknowns, consistently being made aware of just how little control we have. The uncertainty can often lead to doubt and fear to which I am not exempt.

But I have learned to fight the fear and the doubt with the greatest weapon I know: Faith.

I just read an article in Psychology Today called Living With Uncertainty. There was a phrase that jumped off the page that I haven’t been able to get out of my head, “the intolerance of uncertainty.” I was struck by the truth of it. We hate it. We can’t stand it.

We want to know all the things all of the time!

We want to know the future, the outcomes, and the results. We live in an instant pot, drive-thru, Uber Eats, Amazon Now culture. We want the microwaved version of life, not the crockpot.

We hate waiting for that call back from our dream job interview. We can’t stand waiting for medical results or test scores or Amazon deliveries. We wait to get married, wait to get pregnant, wait for our kids to take their first steps, and go to school.

We spend our lives waiting and wishing our days away, looking to the future, assuming everything will be better, simpler, easier.

“We waste so many days waiting for the weekend. So many nights wanting morning. Our lust for future comfort is the biggest thief of life.” - Joshua Glenn Clark

What if instead of worrying in the waiting, we could find peace and joy and life in the waiting? It sounds like a far-fetched, idealistic dream, doesn’t it? But I’ve experienced it myself. Not perfectly. Not every time. But I have.

The only way I know how to deal with my own “intolerance of uncertainty” is to accept that I am not in control, to surrender. I may not be in control, but God is.

He is all-knowing. He knows our past, our present, and our future. He has stored up great things for us. But those great things require waiting…waiting on Him.

“I remain confident of this:
I will see the goodness of the Lord
in the land of the living.
14Wait for the Lord;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the Lord.” Psalm 27:13, 14

“As for me, I look to the Lord for help.
I wait confidently for God to save me,
and my God will certainly hear me.” Micah 7:7

“Be still in the presence of the Lord,
and wait patiently for him to act.
Don’t worry about evil people who prosper
or fret about their wicked schemes.” Psalm 37:7

“The Lord is good to those who wait for him,
to the soul who seeks him.” Lamentations 3:25

So the solution to the “intolerance-of-uncertainty” problem isn't to just try and tolerate it better...to grit your teeth and force your way through the fears and doubt.

You must surrender and wait and hope. Only then, will the all-encompassing peace of the Lord surround you, giving you joy and hope and gratitude...

...even in the waiting and the unknown.

Yes, we live in a world of uncertainty, but faith guides us when we are questioning everything else. It tells us what our next step is, and most importantly, it frees us, allowing us to lay down control and trust in HIS path for our lives.