Braving the unknown
Today we are in the throes of an ice storm. It’s beautiful.
But, an inconvenience. As I’m writing this post, we’ve been without power for nearly twelve hours. I know–that isn’t long compared to those of you who’ve lost power for days or weeks at a time due to hurricanes or other catastrophes. But, being without power for any length of time is an inconvenience. I missed my hot chocolate this morning. It’s getting cool in the house as the wood stove struggles to keep up with the winter temperatures. We had soup warmed on the wood stove for lunch and sandwiches this evening–not a gourmet dinner, but adequate.
We’ve survived previous storms and lapses of power. We know what to do. In this case–we’re not facing an unknown.
Two of our horses have not accepted the storm so easily. The falling trees, ice pelting on the roof of their barn, and their recognition that “something just isn’t right here” have TERRIFIED them. This fear became apparent when they refused to eat their supper this afternoon.
Horses live to eat. The only thing that keeps them from eagerly chowing down grass, hay, and grain is fear. With a little coaxing, they managed to overcome the worst of their anxiety long enough to eat. I’m not sure if they trusted me to protect them or if their rumbling (hungry) tummies overcame their fear. Either way, they braved this new, unknown experience to come to the barn to eat.
Courage is being scared to death, but saddling up anyway.” John Wayne
The unknown can be terrifying. If you’re like me, you have a vivid imagination and can come up with the worst possible scenarios for any situation.
Every year as the new school year opens, I’m always nervous. There’s no good explanation for this. I’ve had many years of experience, I work hard to be prepared, and I’ve experienced thousands of situations that help me be ready for nearly every possible occurrence in the classroom.
Yet, I’m still nervous. Why?
It’s the unknown…
But, like John Wayne, for many years I’ve saddled up and faced a new group of students every fall.
There are other unknowns that are much harder…
- Losing a loved one
- Being forced to make a career change
- The break up of a marriage
- Becoming a caregiver
- Facing a terminal illness
There may be many terrifying unknowns that we will face in the future. Perhaps you have met some of these challenges already. Please consider sharing in the comments below. Others will be inspired by your story.
What are some strategies you utilize to face those unknown challenges? Do you plan ahead and try to prepare for every situation?
Do you ask for advice from others who’ve had the same experience?
Do you pray for guidance?
One thing we can be sure of…
There is always One who will be with us when we face challenges or when we’re confronted by fear of the unknown.
Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table for me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Psalm 23:4-6
Jesus brings light to our darkest valley.
Wishing you blessings on the journey, my friends, and courage to face those unknowns with the Light of our Lord.
Timely post since we were without power too. I love the pictures, but the application is the best. No need to fear with Jesus near.
I hope your power is back on. Ours came on late this afternoon–what a relief! I’m spoiled to modern conveniences (like water, lights, microwave, and heat). “No need to fear with Jesus near.” I like that phrase. Easy to remember and concisely sums up what’s most important for us to remember. Wishing you continued blessings in 2019, Carla.
Your post went directly to my heart this morning Ms. Katherine. We can choose to fear the unknown or we can remind ourselves that our hope is in our Savior who has, and will, never fail us. Thank you so much for this sweet reminder ma’am. Here’s hoping you can gentle your horses today as I am certain more bad weather is on its way. God’s blessings…
I think you’re right about the bad weather–after all it’s just January. It’s amazing that horses have such unique personalities. The two girls I pictured are scared of most everything. If they were humans, we’d label them timid and afraid to try new things. Then we have an Arabian that just flits around like a fairy. Our other two are laid back and seem to be perpetually bored. I expect your cows have personalities, too. Ours did, particularly the dairy cows. Thanks for your encouragement, J.D. You’re right–we, as humans, can choose to to be afraid, or we can trust our Lord Jesus and step out in service to Him.
Katherine, I thoroughly enjoyed your post with the beautiful photos and the thought-provoking content. I’m thankful your wood stove provided warm soup during the ice storm and that your horses could be coaxed to eat.
The John Wayne quote stopped me in my tracks (no pun intended). Writing is sometimes stepping into the unknown which leads me to pause and pray before trying new avenues. Nevertheless, self-doubt sometimes rears its ugly head. I need to be courageous and “saddle up anyway.” I’m going to post this quote in my office.
Caring for my mom was new territory for me. After many sleepless nights, I learned to tell God all of my concerns for her before I went to bed at night and asked Him to take care of those while I slept. I know He was caring all along, but that process helped me. Thank you for this amazing post!
Jeannie, Thank you for sharing your experiences with your mother and how God helped you through that time. I love how you talked to God every night. Isn’t it wonderful that He is with us on those difficult journeys, lifting us when we stumble and fall or when the hill is too steep for us to climb alone? I’m glad you liked the John Wayne quote. When my daughter was younger she and I watched many of his western movies. Most of them were uplifting and had good endings. I like those happy endings! (Really glad our power came back on tonight!)
This is part of my overarching message! Fear robs us of the life we’re meant to have; but, it doesn’t do it without our consent.
The unknown can happen in our circumstances, in things beyond our control. However, the unknown also chases us down in areas we can control…namely our goals and dreams. How many people (writers definitely included) shied away from the calling on their lives because they couldn’t be sure of the direction in which they were heading?
I believe God loves the unknown… not the pain which can be involved in some circumstances, but He loves the way the unknown causes us to look down at our hand and make sure we’re holding onto Him.
Kelly, I think reading your last post impacting my message about the unknown. I hadn’t made the connection until this moment, but I remember thinking at the time how brave your are in stepping out into the “unknown” of dating. I agree with you that God loves the unknown.” Of course, He knows, but we don’t and when we step out in faith, putting our trust in Him, I think He is proud of us. Still wishing you joy and success for your new adventure.
I didn’t know you had horses! I saw in the comments your power is back and I’m very glad.
I was scared to death of bad things happening when I was a teenager. But I learned to trust God that He could work good out of anything. When something scary happened to someone I love, I had to trust Him to find any peace. He has taken care of us. And because He has a heart of love, I trust Him about the future and all things.
Yes! We are so glad that the power company has been able to safely restore our power. We had a tremendous number of trees down, thus many power outages throughout the region. I’m thankful for those men and women that brave the frigid, icy conditions when nature flexes her muscles and sends the storms. When we are very young, I think we look to our parents for security and all is right with our world. Then as we approach double digits and enter adolescence, we realize that scary things happen and we aren’t invincible. I’ve been there, too, Katy (and sometimes that anxiety returns), but like you, I’ve learned to trust God’s ultimate plan and know that He is always there, especially during the trials.
Amen! Thanks, Katherine.
Thank you, Katy! Wishing you a blessed week.
Some challenges you can’t prepare for. They just hit you head-on. That’s when your knees buckle and you lay at the feet of Jesus and he has your undivided attention. The fear is in not knowing how it ends but clinging to the one who does know.
Thanks for sharing. We were without power for two weeks during Fran. It was inconvenient but I learned I’m pretty resourceful under pressure.
You said it best, Daphne–our fear is in the not knowing, but our hope is in Jesus our Lord and Savior.
Two weeks without power–oh, my goodness! You must be resourceful to have survived that one. I believe the worst part, for those of us that live in the country, is not having water. That loss causes all sorts of complications. I’m thankful for the blessing of clean water–so many people in our world don’t have that luxury. Wishing you a blessed 2019, my friend.
Thank you for your reminder, Katherine! We’ve had several hurricanes in the last several years – more than we typically get with the sustained winds that these had, an hour inland from the coast. And, with modern technology, we knew about them for SO LONG ahead of time – which gave me time to do as much preparing as possible, but also gave me MUCH time to worry! I do fear the unknown often, even though I believe with every fiber of my being that God knows the outcome and will be with me no matter what, but I still ponder this quote from CS Lewis – “We are not necessarily doubting that God will do the best for us; we are wondering how painful the best will turn out to be.” But, I know that God doesn’t want me to worry or be fearful … so, it’s something I’m working on!
Julie, I don’t live close enough to the coast to be in the path of very many hurricanes, but I understand your anxiety when one is approaching. That’s when we start all the “what if” scenarios. Like you I struggle with “casting all my cares” upon God. I think that’s because the CS Lewis quote you shared is right on target–I trust my Lord, but I worry about that “painful best.” We can work on together to not be “worriers.” Praying for you!
Oh – and I LOVE the John Wayne quote!!!!
Me too!
Psalm 23 had reassured me many times. Love the reminder. I hope you have power now!
Thank you, Debbie. Yes! We have power! I’m thankful and appreciate the hard work of all the crews that participated in the effort to remove trees and repair downed power lines.
Psalm 23 was my grandmother’s favorite scripture. It’s so comforting.
Katherine, I just love your blog! I’m always encouraged by your words and pictures. I love the John Wayne quote, too.
We all deal with fear. It’s no wonder the topic is mentioned so often in the Bible.
Blessings!
Beckie, Thanks so much for your encouragement. Knowing that you are an excellent writer and teacher, I’m honored by your kind words. I agree with you that we will come face to face with things that frighten us (even if we don’t like to admit it!) But, isn’t it wonderful to know that God is faithful. He is with us every step of our journey. Wishing you blessings!