Start Asking the Good "What Ifs"

Last semester, I was waiting and trusting the Lord with where I was going to live this year, and it was a really overwhelming unknown. It felt like door after door continued to be shut on me, and I had no clue how it was going to work out. I found myself asking endless "what ifs," and I began struggling immensely with worry and anxiety. What if I didn't find somewhere to live? What if I didn't find a roommate? Even after I signed a lease, the what ifs kept coming. What if I hate it? What if I'm not safe? What if I feel lonely? The fear consumed the excitement about finally having a plan, and while I expected to feel relief, my old questions were replaced with new ones.

My mentor, Katie, lovingly called this out in me, and she challenged me to start thinking about the potential good "what ifs." What if I absolutely love living by myself? What if I have so much fun hosting? What if it feels like home? At first, this felt impossible, and I really struggled to switch my mindset. I knew God had good plans for me, and that there had to be a reason why this was the only door that He allowed to stay open, but for some reason, I wasn't excited about the opportunity at all. I dreaded it.

This past summer, though, as I continued praying about it and surrendered it to the Lord, I slowly found myself getting hopeful about living by myself. I started dreaming about the get togethers I would host and the intentional dinners I could have with friends. I loved shopping for everything I needed, and my vison for my apartment began coming to life. And when I realized this was happening in my brain, I realized just how true Katie's advice was.

We can't always control the thoughts that come into our mind, but we can control what thoughts we allow to stay. We can intentionally plant thoughts of faith and believing the best about a situation, even when fear threatens to take hold of all of our feelings. And sometimes, we have to fight to say "no" when our mind takes us completely off course, distracted from the truth about who God is, and resist the urge to throw ourselves a pity party. The feelings of frustration and disappointment are real and valid when situations don't turn out the way we had been praying for, but we can't stay there. We have to make the conscious effort to remind ourselves that God works all things for good (not our comfort), and that He is faithful to provide.

The concept is so simple, but it's so powerful. By challenging yourself to think about all the things that could go right, you start to remember that most things really do work out in the best way. God is sovereign, and He sees so much more than we do. And when we remember that, our confidence in the Lord and gratitude grows (because what you water, blooms), which means that our relationship with the Father deepens as well because we're relying on Him to work it out when we can't on our own.

In your life, what are you fearing will go wrong? What "what ifs" are you allowing to spiral and take over your mind?

What if it all worked out better than you hoped?

Ultimately, we have to trust that God isn't holding out on us. He isn't trying to withhold what we want or make us miserable, but He is seeing the bigger picture. Our Father sees the fruit, the new opportunities that will be unlocked, and the unexpected answers to prayers that will come along the way. We serve a God who loves us immensely, and He is good.

He's not holding blessings back from you. He may just be preparing you for a bigger blessing than you expected.

I'd challenge you to write down the what if questions that keep popping up, and for every negative what if, write down a positive one. What if you feel lonely? Well, what if you built deeper friendships? What if money is tight? Well, what if you get to witness the Lord provide what you thought possible? Write it down, and refer back to it when the fear gets louder. Surrender it all to the Lord, and ask Him to grow optimism and confidence in you - no matter what the circumstance looks like.