Keeping Faith

What Do You Do When You Don’t Know What to Do?

Dear Friend,

I hope you will be blessed and inspired by what I am sharing with you today.

These past months have brought many personal tests for me. There have been times when I simply did not know what to do. I prayed and I cried. I tried to be brave but fell short in that as well.

When I was considering what to name this column, I began to ask questions of others. I asked, “What do you do when you don’t know what to do?” Some said they asked other people what they should do. Some said they prayed. I wondered at times if this was what I was to write about, when, suddenly, God confirmed it to me.

I have a daily devotional book written by Sarah Young. It was November 4 when I began to read as I usually would. When I got to the last paragraph, this is what she had written, in God’s words: “When you don’t know what to do, wait while I open the way before you. Trust that I know what I’m doing and be ready to follow my lead. I will give strength to you, and I will bless you with peace.”

As I read this, I knew God had something He wanted me to share.

The last few months of 2019 have been some of the hardest in my life. I was not doing what I was passionate about and was not certain how to get back to it. I love to communicate with people through public speaking or writing to let them know how much God loves them.

Because this is my passion, the enemy of my soul seems to work overtime to convince me that I have nothing to share that would be of any value to another person. In my head and my heart, I know that is a lie. The enemy of your soul has a purpose—to shut you up. I like to put it like this: There are people in this world that say unkind and defaming things to us to make us feel like less than we are and to convince us that we have no value. I believe the biggest bully resides right between our ears, and that what we tell ourselves about who we are can have the most significant impact.

If what you are telling yourself is opposed to what God says about you, you are listening to lies. The good news is that God gives us a choice each day! He tells us that we can choose life or death. It is actually up to you. Whatever you have allowed into your heart over the years determines what you see and experience.

The good news is that God gives us a choice each day! He tells us that we can choose life or death. It is actually up to you.

May I suggest that, if you are waiting to be able to pursue whatever your passion may be, you spend time in preparation?

Think of a soon-to-be bride who has a mountain of decisions to make for her upcoming wedding. She might have put on an extra ten pounds and now needs to decide whether to leave the weight on or work extra hard to lose it because she desires to look her best in her wedding gown. She might be sending out hundreds of invitations but then begin to think that people won’t come. She has so much to do; she finds herself in a stressed mess and can’t even enjoy being in love and preparing for a big day with her loved ones. Taking a step back and being kind to herself, enjoying the process of planning, and getting help from her family and friends will ease her mind and make the process more fun.

Can you see from this example why it is so important to take time for rest and self-care during these times of not knowing what will come next?

Remember, the farmer plants the seeds. He waters and fertilizes them, and then goes to bed. It is during this time of complete rest that God does what only He can, bringing forth the harvest while the farmer is sleeping. I love to think about that.

Perhaps we should sing Bobby McFerrin’s song more often—“Don’t Worry, Be Happy.” Remember, we get to choose daily!

Blessings,

Pamela Dowling

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