What to do when you don't know what to do.
What to do when you don’t know what to do.
Have you ever been in a situation or circumstance where you felt stuck and you didn’t know what to do next?
Maybe you lost your dream job or someone you loved broke up with you, or you are struggling in your finances or you feel lost and overwhelmed.
I know what that feels like. A few years ago, after I had my son, I felt like I lost my life direction and purpose, and I didn’t know what to do next. My life had changed, and everything felt unfamiliar. It was a big life transition, and I felt uncertain to what to do next.
I felt like I was driving in a car, but I didn’t know where I was going or why I was in the car in the first place. This was a turning point in my life. I learnt about the importance of establishing myself in my identity in Christ, discovering who God is to me as my Father, and going on a journey to discover the purpose and plan he had for the next season of my life.
We all face times in life where we feel unsure or uncertain of what's next. This can happen when we make changes or have life transitions.
Here are 3 things you can do when you don't know what is next.
1. Pray
Prayer is talking to God and when we pray, we can express how we are feeling and our concerns and worries to God and let go of knowing what is next, we can surrender and submit to his plan and purpose and release the burden of the outcome to him.
There were some days that I didn't know what was next and while I was trying to figure out what I needed to do to move forward, I prayed. I prayed when I felt lost, I prayed when I felt frustrated, I prayed when I felt overwhelmed.
When I pray, I like to visualize giving my needs and concerns to God and then letting them go, and completely trusting God with the outcome of the situation.
“Don’t be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” Philippians 4:6-7
Consistent prayer also releases the power of God’s blessing on your life and circumstances.
Jesus said, “When you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret will reward you,” (Matthew 6:6).
The person who develops a secret life of prayer with Christ is promised reward from the Father. A consistent rhythm of meeting with the Father in prayer brings blessing and favour upon the individual.
2. Meditate on Gods Word
Meditating on God’s words lead to depth and stability: As David points out in psalms 1, the Christian who meditates day and night on the word of God shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water. A Christian that meditate on God’s word day and night enjoys spiritual nourishment that can equip them to handle anything that comes their way.
There are so many beautiful promises in Scripture related to meditation: It can satisfy our souls like a gourmet meal, make us successful on our spiritual pilgrimage, and keep our minds in a place of peace, to name a few.
From a scientific perspective, meditation literally changes the structures of our brains, making them healthier in every way. Because of their neuroplasticity, whenever any human being ponders or muses on a deep truth or complex concepts, positive changes take place.
Search Gods word and find 3 verses that speak to you, and write them in your journal, put them up on your wall, and meditate on them. Gods word is his promise and his truth to us, and when we don’t know what to do next, we can look to Gods word for direction, comfort, guidance and peace.
“Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light on my path” Psalm 119:105
3.Bless and encourage others
When we are facing difficult circumstances, the easiest thing to do is to look inward and focus on ourselves, but a very helpful thing to do is to look outward and start to look for ways that we can bless, encourage, and pray for others, to help them. There is a story in the Bible of a man named Job when went through a difficult season of life, and in Job 42:10 is says
“When Job prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his fortunes, in fact, the Lord gave him twice as much as before”.
But God's intent for each and every one of us Christians is to be a blessing regardless of our current circumstance, our net worth or our physical or spiritual disabilities. The main reason we can be a blessing to others is not who we are or what we have, but about who God is and what He can and will do through us when we are open to be a blessing to others.
I know that loving and doing something for someone else is probably the last thing you feel like doing when you are going through a difficult time, but it is one of the best things we can do.
Today I was to encourage you, that if you are feeling like you don’t know what to do next, that you are not alone. Most of us have faced this throughout different seasons of our lives. You are not alone. God is with you. He is working behind the scenes, He loves you, and he has a plan and a purpose for your life.