I've heard the Navy SEALS have an unusual training exercise for their recruits...
An instructor tells his group of SEAL candidates to start running...
He doesn't tell them how far to run. Or how fast. Or what's waiting at the end of the run.
He just tells them to run.
It's an extremely unnerving exercise... making the candidates' minds race faster than their legs.
Yet it's an essential way to train... because uncertainty is the worst form of stressor -- and SEALS must learn to cope with it.
But hey -- Navy SEALS aren't the only ones needing to handle the stress of uncertainty.
We all do.
Especially theses days, as we wonder...
... How long is this going to last?
... Will I stay well?
... What's going to happen to my job or business?
... How will I make it?
... What's our country going to look like when this is over?
Now... whose mind hasn't chased thoughts like these?
And how do you cope with them?
Here are a couple things I've found helpful...
One, remember... God didn't make us to know everything.
We like to know all we can because it gives us a sense of being in control.
But it's an illusion.
We'll never know everything... and we'll never have the kind of command over information we'd like.
And we certainly don't know or control the future.
Only God has that place.
So we need to accept it: we'll never know all we'd like to know.
And God made it that way, and it's okay.
He is infinite, we are finite.
Which leads to...
Number two, God calls us to live by trusting and obeying Him.
There's a great verse in the book of Deuteronomy...
"The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our sons forever, that we may observe all the words of this law" (Dt.29:29).
Notice...
God has secrets He keeps to Himself -- secrets like what He's doing with the coronavirus.
But He's also revealed things to us... things to obey -- and it's to these we must give our attention.
If you spend your time speculating about the future, you'll never find satisfaction... and you'll likely drive yourself bonkers in the process.
But if you trust and obey the Lord, He'll lead you along the way.
He'll guide your thoughts in the direction they need to go.
And He'll put you at ease.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge him, and he l will make straight your paths" (Pr.3:5-6).