“How Do I Be Patient in Anxious Times?”

Asking For a Friend

– This question was submitted anonymously by someone like you –

Desperate times call for desperate measures. I say this because I am 99% certain that every single person that lives on this planet has been desperate at one time or another. We are desperate for change, love, understanding, growth, happiness, and more. People say it is a bad thing to always long for something more. It may not be the best idea to let the present slip away without recognizing its value. However, it is always good to hope for more!

Generally speaking, when we are little kids we want to grow up. When we are in high school we want to get out. When we are single we want to be married. When we are married we want to be pregnant. When we are pregnant we want to be independent. It’s an endless cycle!
This isn’t something that is new or mind-blowing. Instead, it’s a human pattern. As I thought this question over, I kept thinking of the song “You’re Gonna Miss This” by country artist Trace Adkins. The chorus goes like so:

"Baby just slow down, 

"Cuz you're gonna miss this. 
You're gonna want this back. 
You're gonna wish these days 
Hadn't gone by so fast 

"These are some good times 
So take a good look around 
You may not know it now
But you're gonna miss this."

For full music video, click here

Any time I am telling my husband about my future dreams, wishing it was here already he starts singing this song. I cry almost immediately every time because I am flooded with the good memories of my current stage. Finish this sentence for yourself:

Right now I love _______ about my life.

How long can your list get?

I have found that waiting in patience is a necessary part of God’s plan. So I ask God, what can I do to develop myself in the meantime? How can I prepare for the thing I long for? Sometimes that answer is to keep doing what I am doing – a confirmation that I am on track. I have to admit, I have a love-hate relationship with that one, considering it still calls for patience.

Here’s a story for ya:

I started college in 2013. I LOVE learning! So as you can imagine, I was that gung-ho student that had folder organizers, weekly planners, and worked three jobs during the summer so I could enjoy school all by itself! I know, I’m kind of a nerd. I had a plan to go into speech pathology. It was a dream I had for years. After my first semester, God told me to serve a mission for my church. This messed with my plans but I knew it would be for the best. While on said mission I was prompted to switch colleges, and major in special education. This was the clearest guidance I had ever received. So I did. Did I want to become a special education teacher? Not really, but I figured God had a plan. So, I studied it for a year.

During summer break I got a prompting to not go to school in the fall semester. By this point, I was starting to get a bit aggravated by all the surprise changes that God kept throwing my way. So I fought this one for a few weeks before dropping all my classes. July came and I still had no clue why I needed to be out a semester. While pondering on my future, the thought came, You aren’t going to be a teacher. Comforting, right?! I bantered with God, well I could’ve told you that before! So then I had a choice. Change my degree to something I can get a faster degree with or do all the work for special education, and have to do at least two more years after that to become a therapist. Considering I wasn’t going to school in the fall I had time to think, thankfully.

August came and the entire first month of school I was unexpectedly very sick with two parasites I’d picked up on a family vacation. If I would have been enrolled and not listened to God, my GPA would have suffered or I would’ve dropped all my classes anyway. January finally came around and I got to start school again. I switched my major to psychology by this point, and then I met my husband. We got married and moved after one semester of studying psychology. HA! Can you believe that?!

Do you know how many times I hoped this would be the last switch? Do you know how many times I ached to feel at peace about this and be able to settle on God’s plan? I wonder now, was God’s plan to have me never finish my education? Why would God want that? He knows how much I love school. The deeper questions I had were these, Am I hearing Him wrong? Does God really have a plan for me?

It is the uncertain future that created anxious times for me the most. Something I realize now is that in God’s plan he says stop and go. Yet it’s not the same as if we were sitting at an annoyingly long stop light with nothing to do but wait.

God’s plan says go here, do good, focus forward, and don’t ever stop believing!

I want things in my future! I plead for good to come to people everywhere, but quite honestly I pray for it to come to me. I know it will come but when, and how, and what do I need to do in the meantime?

The initial question was this: “How do I be patient in anxious times?” By adding a faithful beginning, our question can be revamped into: I know something will happen, but with an uncertain future how do I wait for it patiently?

Finding the answer to these questions adds that needed patience to my heart:

• When has God been there for me before?
• How do I build trust with God?
• Do I believe He will be there for me in my future?

It is not always easy to hear God or to know His ways, but we can always ask for more light, better understanding, and further direction. When we do, hell trembles at the thought that God just heard our prayer. Every time I doubt that, even for a second, I rely on this mantra:

“Every little thing is gonna be alright”

You’re welcome to use it for your sanity too! 🙂

Thank you for asking such a thoughtful and relevant question! My intent is not to answer your questions completely, but to add hope and lead you to discover on your own! Also, I LOVE to share insights, things I have tried, and more.

So, Keep on Asking!

For further tips and tricks to help during anxious times, click “here“!