What to do when you don’t know what to do Part 1

Have you ever felt this way?  Have you ever just wanted clarity?

You just don’t know what to do next.  You’re knee deep in the middle of your situation.  You don’t know which way to turn.  You don’t even know which way is up!  Life is hard.  You’re caught in the middle of it all & you’re confused, perplexed, lost & discouraged.  It’s a pretty miserable place to be.

Then you hear someone say, “Just do the next right thing.”  What is that?  What does that mean?  If it were that easy, if you knew what the next right thing was you would do it.  You just need some direction.  Some clarity.

Unfortunately, for us who follow Jesus, clarity is often missing.  That’s because we claim to be people of faith & Jesus calls us to be people of faith.  And being a person of faith by definition means being a person who lacks clarity.  Part of following Jesus means choosing to not know.  It means choosing to trust.  It means believing what we say we believe.  That Jesus is exactly who He says he is.  That He will work all things together for our good & for his ultimate glory.

[Tweet “Being a person of faith by definition means being a person who lacks clarity.”]

But it’s not easy.

So, here are a few ideas if you’re struggling with what to do when you don’t know what to do.  My hope is that this will be helpful to you.  In Part 1 of this blog, I’ll share 5 ideas.  Be on the look out for Part 2 where I’ll share 5 more ideas to help you know what to do next.

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

1. Pray
   Don’t breeze by this.  It’s not trite & it’s not quick.  Have you labored in prayer over whatever it is you’re in the middle of?  Have you come before the King of kings & Lord of lords with your burden?  Have you gotten up early in the morning to seek His face & ask His counsel?  Is it a big enough deal that you’ve turned to Him as your first response, not your last resort?  If you haven’t spent any real time in pray yet, close this post, stop reading & pray.  Find a quiet place, your prayer closet, and pray.  If you don’t start here nothing else really matters.  You need to devote yourself to prayer before you do anything else.[Tweet “Devote yourself to prayer before you do anything else.”]
2. Talk to mentors
   Do you have a mentor?  Someone older who is down the road from where you are in life?  Someone who is a devoted follower of Jesus Christ?  Do you have more than one?  Here’s what I can share from my experience: As you talk to them what will probably happen is you will hear a common theme emerging.  This is, I believe, the Spirit of God at work through them for you.  Listen to them.  Ask them for wise counsel.  Then be ready to follow their advice.[Tweet “Let the Spirit of God at work through others for you. “]
3. Do the hard thing (it’s normally the right thing)
   Here’s where it gets difficult because you’re probably looking for the easy road.  But the right thing is probably the hard thing.  And if you want to see the power of Christ at work in your life you need to be willing to do the next right thing which is most often the next hard thing.  When you do, you follow the example of Jesus who did the hardest thing ever & showed us what it means to face supreme difficulty because it’s the right thing.[Tweet “The right thing is probably the hard thing.”]
4. Don’t be afraid
   When you’re in the middle of doing the hard thing, don’t ever be afraid.  Truthfully, it’s probably not going to be easy.  And you’re not sure what’s going to happen next.  In fact, there’s no guarantees that this is going to go well.  You need to know that.  But don’t be afraid.  There is one who goes before you.  HE’s got you.  You can remember that although you don’t know how this situation will work out, you know how the story ultimately ends.  God wins![Tweet “Don’t be afraid. There is One who goes before you. He’s got you.”]
5. Remember who you are
   Self-doubt, insecurity, & identity may be a struggle in the middle of this for you.  That’s normal I think.  But remember who you are.  Who you are is not what you do.  Or even what you’re known for.  As I often remind my children, you are a beautiful, wonderful, child of God.  That’s who you are. Don’t let this current crisis allow you to forget who you are.  You are loved, valued & worth more than you know.[Tweet “You are a beautiful, wonderful, child of God.”]

I don’t know what you’re struggling with.  But I hope this will be helpful & be an encouragement to you.  May you, in all you do, act in a way that honors Christ in you.

Stay tuned for 5 more ideas coming soon to help you know what to do when you don’t know what to do!

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