For the majority of my life, I have never been one to handle change well. But following my trip to Europe, I feel like I have gained a greater outlook on my life and all of my current circumstances. I have discovered that it is normal to be scared and unsure of what might happen tomorrow, but that it's important to remember that God is constantly watching over me. He knows what my future holds, and not just my career. He is aware of the troubles I will face, and He is aware of the friendships and relationships I will build, and that gives me great comfort. For so long I have tried to go through life aimlessly on my own and spent way too much time thinking about whether this or that is a good fit for me. This of course has produced in me a habit of what I have termed hyper-rationalization. I get to a point where I overanalyze a particular situation so much that I miss out on the potential positives that it could have provided. It makes me think of the show, Bones, which revolves around a forensic anthropologist, who is always trying to rationalize her life away. Her best friend on the show said the following as way to try and explain the dangers of her thought patterns: "If you keep living trying to protect yourself, nothing is ever going to touch you." I am determined to no longer live in this fashion so that I can experience all of the joy, and the occasional pain, life has to offer. Without risk, I will constantly miss out, so I must not leave the decision-making to myself.
The only way to truly live a freeing life is to put all of your requests before God and listen to his answers. He is the best guide throughout life and should always be consulted on important decisions in life. We must choose to be like Peter and have enough trust to step out on the choppy waters when Jesus says, "Come." (Matthew 14:29). I have a shirt to remind me of this that says, "Why stay in the boat when you can walk on water?" But unlike Peter, we must not allow our fear to usher doubt into the decision to follow where Jesus guides us. We must accept whatever He says as truth and have the faith to be completely obedient. This could be a call in any realm of your life, whether it be your career, friendships, travel plans, where to live, or relationships. God is all knowing and the only way to make the best decisions is to pray to God for guidance and not rely on your own heart and mind because they are of this fallen world and susceptible to Satan's demons who love to infuse doubt and negative thinking.
On my drive home last night, I was listening to a song by Kutless called "What Faith Can Do" and was struck by the following verse:
It doesn’t matter what you’ve heard
Impossible is not a word
It’s just a reason for someone not to try
Everybody’s scared to death
When they decide to take that step
Out on the water
It’ll be alright
Life is so much more
Than what your eyes are seeing
You will find your way
If you keep believing
I feel that these words will help remind me to look to God and make all important decisions based on faith. There are so many aspects of this life that are unseen and unless you have the faith to believe in them and that you are being guided down the right path, you will never live a truly fulfilling life and you will miss out on countless blessings due to hyper-rationalization. Desire contentment and rest for your soul from the peace of overthinking. Take a leap of faith and allow God to guide you and you just might find that desired peace of mind you have so desperately searched for on your own, but to no avail.
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