Embracing Uncertainty: Blessed is She Who Believed

Embracing Uncertainty

Since college graduation, adult life has taught me one big lesson: The only way to be truly happy in each season in life is to go with the flow and embrace uncertainty. The more time passes, the more I realize everything comes down to trust. I graduated in May from the University of Florida where I competed on the women’s tennis team for four years. I had a wonderful college experience, won a national championship with my teammates, and decided I was going to pursue a professional tennis career after graduation. However, things didn’t go as smoothly as planned.

Unfortunately I got injured the last month of my college season. So, I have been spending the last four months rehabbing at home, while blogging and babysitting to fill my time. I have tried to make the most out of this season in life, but I have realized I struggle with questioning everything.

Am I doing what the Lord wants from me? Should I even pursue a pro career or pursue some of my other talents? Maybe this is a sign. What about my desire for marriage and a family? How does that fit into everything?

These are all the questions I try to answer on a daily basis, but I struggle to. And at times the uncertainty of my season in life really frustrates me. I want to be in control. However, I’ve realized we are always going to have uncertainty in life and will never be able to plan everything.

So we have two options:

1)    We can let that freak us out. We can become anxious and unhappy because we don’t have it all together. OR

2)    We can bask in it. We can recognize we don’t have a clue what the future holds, but be okay with trusting God with our future, knowing He has something wonderful planned. We can embrace the uncertainty.

Becoming His Handmaid

Being the planner I am, sometimes embracing uncertainty is really hard. Oftentimes I cling to my wants and allow them to become my focus. This causes me to be unhappy when my desires aren’t fulfilled. Instead, I need to continue to learn how to surrender my heart, hopes, and dreams to the Lord, and trust that He knows what’s best for me. Whatever He chooses to give me is a gracious gift – I want to joyfully accept this!

One of my favorite women in scripture to learn from in this regard is the Blessed Virgin Mary because of her choice to trust God with everything. When the angel Gabriel appeared and delivered the news that she would be the Mother of God – as a teenager – she simply replied,

“Behold I am the handmaid of the Lord, let it be done unto me according to Thy Word.” (Luke 1:38)

Then the angel left her. He didn’t give her instructions on how to raise Jesus, even though she probably had a million questions. Mary wasn’t expecting to be the mother of God. She had to carry Christ in her womb for nine months, not fully understanding what the Father had planned for her or her Child! Yet she responded by saying yes and being obedient to the Father’s will for her. She remained patient. She trusted. She believed.

In fact, Mary believed, even when believing didn’t make any rational sense whatsoever. How could she possibly be pregnant when she was a virgin? And how in the world was she going to bring the Son of God into the world? As Mary’s cousin Elizabeth said at the Visitation:

“Blessed is she who believed that what was spoken to her by the Lord would be fulfilled (Luke 1: 45).”

Be Not Afraid   

Mary truly believed in her heart that God is good and His plan was better than anything she could ever fathom. That’s why her trust was so great.

 But do we believe that? Do we believe the words Christ tells us?

 If we do, uncertainty shouldn’t scare us, but only deepen our faith and trust in the Lord. We shouldn’t be afraid because God is with us. In those times when we start to feel anxious and worried, we need to keep our eyes on Christ and continue to trust His plan.

 Today, I just want to encourage each of you to draw closer to Christ in prayer especially if you’re in a season of uncertainty (like I am). Let’s make Him our focus and allow Him to guide us to His will. Just like He took care of His Momma when she didn’t know her future, He’s going to take care of you and me. Just remember, uncertainty is a good thing because it challenges us to trust God and let go of control. And blessed is she who believed. 

Josie Kuhlman

Hey FAM! I’m Josie. I’m a Florida gal, a gator grad. and I’m passionate about my faith, people, and tennis. Since graduating in May 2018 with a Public relations degree from the University of Florida, I’ve been pursuing my dream of playing pro tennis while writing for my blog (www.beautifuldepths.com or @beautifuldepthsblog on Insta). In my free time I enjoy hanging with my six siblings, cozying up to a good book, or doing anything active! I’m also a lover of Mexican food, Mel Gibson films (The Patriot & Braveheart, anyone?), and the color yellow.