I don’t know about you, but I often find that life can be unpredictable. I can see this in my own life and even more in the lives of others. Sometimes things just don’t work out the way we expect or hope and this can be a daunting prospect.

Worry about the future

I sometimes find myself imagining hypothetical future scenarios where things haven’t worked out as I would hope. I start to worry about how I would handle these situations even though they are only hypothetical!

It can be anything from the seemingly trivial— like an event that I’m planning not going well— to more life impacting situations — like suddenly being out of work and struggling to make ends meet. 

No matter what it is that I worry about, I have realised that it is not worthwhile to worry about the future in this way. Understandably, this is much easier said than done.

There are however, a few truths which, when remembered, may help to relieve anxiety about the unknown future:

1. We might not have anything to worry about 

We don’t know what will happen in the future. If we are worrying about something that hasn’t yet happened, we are in fact worrying about something that may not happen at all.

2. Life can prepare us to handle future concerns

Life is a journey and we learn and grow over time. In reality we may be in a better place to deal with our concerns when, or if, we face them.

3. Worrying doesn’t change anything

Worrying only creates feelings of anxiety and negativity. Worrying won’t ever help us resolve anything that is out of our control. It can be helpful to focus on what you can control in the present.

It is sensible to plan for the future and make wise decisions which will help you in the long run. But sometimes we worry about things that are out of our control.
When I start to worry, I try to think about my situation as logically as I can. I remind myself that my worrying isn’t helpful and I try to think of practical ways I can minimise my concerns. The following scripture reminds me to give my worries over to God and to focus on the ‘day by day’:

Do Not Worry

“Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.”

Matthew 6:34

Keri x