Dealing With Uncertainty
First let me say that this is my story.
My story is not intended to offend anyone but the devil. I purposely left out names, places, and the full specific content of my painful abusive past. The reason that I'm sharing my story is to encourage those that are going through the same thing or have already gone through it.
I am not sharing my past for anyone to feel sorry for me. God has and is doing extraordinary things in my life. It is because of His unfailing love and faithfulness that I will always share my story in hopes that it will help someone else.
My childhood was filled with uncertainty . Uncertainty about whether we were going to eat, where we were going to live and where we were going to be safe. Who was going to be the next abuser and would anyone ever take notice and ask questions about our home life? Would my mother be okay? Would the current man in my mother’s life bring home a paycheck so that we wouldn't have to go to a shelter or stay with someone who didn't treat us the way that children should be treated? Or, was he going to spend it on drugs, alcohol, or any other nefarious thing? As a child of sexual, emotional, and physical abuse I never felt protected.
Not having a stable father figure in our home was "normal" to me, and at times the uncertainty of him not being there meant we would sleep that night without any disturbances. So as you can see, for me uncertainty was a norm that was filled with fear and sadness.
At the age of 13, I gave my life to Christ and it saved my life. Becoming a Christian did not stop the many uncertainties in my life but it gave me the strength to go through them. I also realized the power I now had in Christ! I could pray and study His Word and learn about all the promises afforded to me by being a child of God.
Promises like:
Isaiah 40:29 He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.
Isaiah 40:31 But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
Isaiah 43:2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.
When I was hungry and didn't know where our next meal was coming from I memorized Ps.37:25 with emphasis on the ending portion of the verse: I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread.
I started praying the scriptures and didn't stop even when I was hungry. I kept reminding God of what He said in His word, and continued to trust Him with everything.
Life is filled with uncertainties.
Here is an excerpt from an article by Patrick Miller who wrote about How to Handle Uncertainties:
Walk by faith, not by sight.Because we know the direction we’re headed, we can move forward in our lives with confidence. This is not because we can see the road ahead, but because we trust God. We have faith in him to keep His promises.
This means that, as uncertain as things might feel in the present, we do know the plan after all. God told us in his promises to us. We know how it all ends: with Jesus as the victorious king.Confidence in that future joy gives us the freedom right now to love and serve others without fear of uncertainty.
Facing uncertainty is not easy, but when you meditate upon what is certain and true, the God of tomorrow supersedes the uncertainty of today.