Living calmly with uncertainty

How can you live comfortably when you are in an uncomfortable situation?

How do you cultivate an inward sense of calm when your position is precarious?

I have been meditating on this image above, along with some words from Psalm 94

” When I said, ‘my foot is slipping’, your love, O Lord, supported me, when anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul.”

The girl appears to be calm, relaxed and comfortable. But her position is undoubtedly uncomfortable and somewhat risky. She appears to be above the waves and currents that could overwhelm or engulf her but nevertheless she is close enough to the sea for a sudden storm or high tide to risk sweeping her off the rock.

Her position may have been difficult to get to, quite a scramble up the rocks I expect. Her feet may have slipped many times. And she still needs to get down….

And yet, there she is, looking at the horizon with calm and settled confidence.

‘Lord, help me to be like this girl. When I have to sit and wait with uncertainty, help me trust in your provision and protection. You will give me what I need, when I need it. And you give me yourself as a constant companion, moment by moment. Keep me steady in the waiting.’

To live calmly with courage and compassion for others in spite of our own less than ideal circumstances is the essence of peace. The reality is that our circumstances are never perfect and will never be perfect. What we cannot change, we must learn to accept. If we are not going to allow our circumstances (or other people) to control our emotions then we must have a more powerful source of peace and hope.

” Hope means having a calm and settled state of mind based on the assumption that in everything, from the huge decisions to the smallest, we can rely on God. It is a confidence that we can trust him for all the things about which it is impossible to be certain. And that can transform a life. It means that when we have anxieties about what the future holds or doubt about what we believe, they come in the context of a mindset that assumes we have a good God who wants the best for us and is preparing for us and eternity that is consummately rich. ‘The riches of his glorious inheritance’ as Paul puts it. It can give us courage to endure loss, disappointment and ‘the fainting of the heart’ with a quiet trust that we are love by and safe in the hands of God.” (from All’s Well that Ends Well by Peter Greystone)