Hey, Anna Currin here, your study leader for the rest of week 1!
We’re all aware of the reality that life doesn’t always go the way we think it should. Which is why I’m looking forward to coming together the next six weeks as we learn to navigate through our disappointments.
As I began reading through the introduction, the first thing that came to mind was my TV watching habits. I know that sounds strange, but stick with me.
If you ask my husband, he’ll tell you I’m one of the worst people to watch TV with. And it’s true. Most people find a show they like and watch an episode or two a night. I, on the other hand, will stay up all night watching an entire season ... if my husband would agree to it.
So the whole binge watching thing, I get it! I hate not knowing what comes next. I want that closure of knowing everything turns out okay. And guess what? I struggle with the same thing in life.
I’m currently in a season of unknowns. There are things that haven’t gone as expected, leaving question marks on what’s next. The other night I asked my husband for his thoughts on what to do. His response, while correct, was not at all what I wanted to hear: “We’re going to have to wait, and ask God to direct our next steps and see where He leads us.”
Unfortunately, waiting is not my forte. It makes me feel unsettled. And those unsettled feelings make me wish I could binge watch my way through my circumstances to see how it’ll turn out. Which is why I love how Lysa TerKeurst reminds us in It’s Not Supposed to Be This Way:
“Though we can’t predict or control or demand the outcome of our circumstances, we can know with great certainty we will be okay.”
We WILL be okay. I know this truth and have seen it play out in my own life. And yet in the midst of unwanted circumstances, I still try to predict and control what’s out of my control, rather than focusing on the things I can control. Like: striving to wait well, praying and trusting God’s sovereignty. Can you imagine how different we’d feel about our disappointing circumstances if we shifted our focus to controlling these instead?
Lord, thank You for leading each of us here. I pray that over the next 6 weeks, You’ll meet us exactly where we are, helping us surrender what we can’t control. Please open our hearts and minds to see our disappointments and unwanted circumstances as an opportunity to grow closer to You, trusting Your ways, knowing that regardless of the outcomes of our circumstances, we will be okay. We ask all of this in Jesus’ name, amen.
Anna