…and even better than you originally planned
A relatable and encouraging read to remind you that your feelings are valid and you are not alone in whatever you’re going through.
Process the Now and Have Faith in The Future
I hold pretty strong to my belief that God has His hands on my life. God already has a plan for me. I know that difficult times happen for a reason. It could be to teach me something, remove something from my life that wasn’t serving me, to protect me, to help me grow, to draw me closer to God, and/or to make me appreciate the positive things a little more. As cliche as it sounds, I know from experience that the toughest times really can lead to the best outcomes. You may really believe it will all work out. But let’s be real – it can be REALLY hard to sit in those tough times and go through them.
I am able to trust that there’s a reason for everything and a plan for my life. But, sometimes I’ll also continue to question it. I’ll ask questions like: “But what if this little detail doesn’t pan out exactly as I pictured?” or “But what if it’s all ruined and this isn’t what was supposed to happen?” or “But what if I’m not actually happy with the outcome?” That type of thinking can be really draining to go through.
There is something that helps me a lot in these moments. I like to take myself out of the present for a second. Then, I think about what my life will look like in 1 year or 2 years or even 5 years from now. Everyone’s heard things like “live in the moment” or “be where your feet are.” Those ideas do have their time and place. But, looking to the future for a minute can help take the heaviness away from the current moment.
Life goes on, time will pass, and things will change. Everything in life can be looked at as just a season. Some seasons are longer and some are shorter. Some seasons are harder and some are more enjoyable. It will all work out!
Real Life Examples
When your baby is waking up every hour through the night and it feels like it will never end – remember it’s just a season. It will all work out. Your baby likely won’t be waking up every hour when they’re 5 years old. I also like to remind myself that in every season (even the hard ones, too!) there is good. Change your perspective! When your baby is up crying in the middle of the night and the only thing they want is to be in your arms – there is so much sweetness and beauty in that. It feels like you and your baby are the only ones in the world at night. It won’t be long before you don’t have those moments anymore. Maybe it’s hard to believe when you’re living through it, but it will pass. And you’ll even find yourself missing it one day.
It can be hard to see the good in the end of a relationship or friendship. Because you’re hurting! But, it is an opportunity for growth! A chance to learn what you can do differently in future relationships; to learn what type of people you want to attract or avoid in the future. And, it opens space for something even better to fall into place. This type of situation also gives you an opportunity to spend more time with yourself and give yourself more attention.
Sometimes it’s easier to see the good in a tough situation and sometimes it can be harder. Something you can do when you’re really in your feels, is to literally write down things you’re thankful for. This can do two positive things for you. It can make you realize the difficult time isn’t all that bad because there is still so much good. And/or if the situation is really tough it can give you something good to smile about, even if it’s small.
Sometimes hard times or challenging situations arise to teach you something – which will improve your future. When things are hard I also ask myself – why is this happening? Did I put myself in this situation? How can I avoid things like this in the future? Was this completely out of my control/was there nothing I could have done to prevent it? This can help you to really reflect, understand the situation, find purpose, grow, become stronger and move forward. Sometimes you may not be able to fully understand it all – that is okay and something you may need to accept.
NONE of this is to say you should invalidate the pain you’re in now or the struggles you are facing – because it IS real. But, those ideas may shed some light and give some perspective if you are able to step out of the now and look to the future.
Move Forward Confidently and Enjoy the Process
What if every time you were filled with doubt you held on tightly to faith that it is all going to be okay? This might look like telling yourself, “in 1 year or 2 years or 5 years from now – this specific thing is all going to work out” or “this may not be how I planned it but I know there is a better plan” or “this is all happening for a reason and one day I’ll look back and be thankful I went through this to get to where I ended up today.”
If you REALLY believed this and not just said you did – would you stop worrying so much? Would you just be able to enjoy the season you’re in a little bit more? If you KNEW for sure that everything would work out okay (even better than just okay) would you feel a sense of relief?
It IS going to be okay. It sounds simple, but once I was able to let that sink in and really believe it, it brought SO much peace into my life. I was able to let go of my specific plan for my life, and have faith in the plan that God has for my life.
I like to worry about the process, not the destination. The destination is already taken care of, especially IF you focus on the process. If you are doing the right things, taking the right steps, and putting in the effort to get to where you want – it will happen! Everything may not go exactly as you planned and there may be some bumps along the way. But, you WILL get there. Let go of your specific plan, stop thinking about every little detail, try to stop worrying, and have faith it will all work out (even better than you planned). Enjoy the process!
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