Know.

"I know that there is a monumental change I'm about to experience. 
That's scary. It's also extremely freeing. There is such freedom in not knowing. Knowing causes us to worry and to want to change things, when really, the Lord has everything perfectly planned out for us. By not knowing, we can know that it is going to be amazing. 
Shocking, tough, beautiful, dirty, grace-filled, amazing things are done when we hand God the pen and let Him write on our hearts. Then we will fully know the good works of Christ. We can watch Him bring us out of the darkness and into the light. We can be secure in the safety of our future."

April 26th, 2013

I blogged this over a year ago, just two months before embarking on my first international missions trip. Little did I know how true those words were, not only for the week we spent in Italy, but for every single day since I wrote them. 

"There is such freedom in not knowing" 

If you're reading this, I'm sure you've experienced uncertainty in some area of your life.

Maybe it's with finances, maybe a relationship, or maybe a college application. 

Either way, there will come a point in your life where you simply don't know.

And that is okay. 

Really, it is.

Think of how stressful it would be to know EVERYTHING. 

Our poor little finite brains couldn't handle it; that's why God does. 

"Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is it's own troubles." -Matthew 6:34

At first that verse sounds pretty depressing. 

"Oh, each day is going to have a sufficient amount of trouble? Awesome."

No. 

Well, yes. 

Both. 

Every day there will be some point where you are not completely, entirely, happy. If you tell me I'm wrong, you are a liar. 

I'm not talking about "joy" or "peace". Those things are concrete things we acquire as believers that do not change with our circumstances.  

I'm talking about happy.

You know, "cute boy gives you a cuter puppy" kind of happy. 

If I'm not happy, I'm probably angry/sad/worried, or a combination of all of those. 

Think about the source of all of your unhappy moments.

They all, more than likely, stem from not knowing.

"I don't have a job, so I don't know how I'm going to pay for gas."

"I only applied to one school and I didn't get in, so I don't know where I'm going to college."

"My best friend moved away, and I don't know who to hang out with now."

We are not supposed to know. 

So the next time you are freaking out because you don't know, take a deep breath and remember that the Lord has a plan for you. 

We have a whole book and a whole history based on God's faithfulness to humans. 

Rest in that fact, and trust Him.