Q: “What should I do when my world is falling apart? What should I do when I’m scared of the future? So many things are happening in my life and I don’t know how to comprehend it all.” – Anonymous reader.
A: Dear reader, I want you to know – you are not alone. I’ve been there. I’ve reached points where my world was falling apart. (Read my story.) I feared the future because I could not control my current situations or what would happen. If this is how you feel, you have reached a scary moment. I promise you, something beautiful is about to happen. A beautiful gift happens when you allow God to have control of your life. (Click to Tweet.) My freshman year of college, I was depressed and believed absolutely nothing could heal my broken heart. That was the moment I gave God control. In the pain, brokenness, uncertainties and lack of control, God worked miracles and brought healing to my life. He can bring healing to you too.
As scary as the future is right now, know that God has a perfect plan for your life. We know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28). God created you and formed you knowing exactly what you would go through, the hurt you would experience and the heartbreak you would feel (Jeremiah 1:5). God knows.
This concept is a bit abstract, so I want to provide a few practical tips to help you through this challenging time.
Here are 4 Tips for When You Fear the Future:
1) Turn to Jesus. Surrender control to him. Let him be in charge of your life. (Read how to give Jesus control of your life and have a relationship with him.) Cry out to him. He hears your cries. “In my distress I called upon the Lord; to my God I called. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry came to his ears.” 2 Samuel 22:7 (ESV).
2) Rejoice. Beauty comes from pain and joy from suffering. This is one of the hardest responses while in the midst of suffering, but in the Bible Paul explains, “More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” Romans 5:3-5 (ESV).
3) Turn to community. Talk with a spiritual mentor, leader or discipler. Share your heart with the people in your small group. Allow other people to know your pain, enter into the mess and help you carry the burden. You never have to do life alone.
4) Write it all down. When my mind is spinning and I can’t fall asleep, I open my journal and write. Let the pen move and the words flow. Peace will come. Have you tried journalling to God? Read how scripture is God’s love letter to us.
I hope these practical tips will help you through this hard time. Remember, God cares about you and will be with you through it all. Let me know how I can be praying for you! If you have a question that you want answered in a blog post, comment it below or send it to [email protected].
