How to start over when we we don’t know what to do next

 By J.E. Nickerson

Have you ever looked at your life and wondered how you got where you are and when things started spiraling out of control? Sometimes the best plans we have and the best choices we think we are making, lead us to the least desirable places in life. Investment choices may lead to financial difficulties because of unexpected economic challenges. A relationship that seems perfect one day can suddenly fall apart when the person we love and enjoy being with, suddenly has a change of heart and leaves us. Sometimes the situation we find ourselves in, is because of bad choices we have made that we never expected to cause as many problems as we are now facing. 

No matter what your situation is or how helpless things seem, there is hope. God has not given up on you or hidden himself from you. There is no such thing as a godforsaken person or situation. That is because no matter where we are in life, we can turn to God and call to him for help. While we may still have to face the consequences of our choices and actions, God will help us. He will give us the strength and wisdom to make better choices. 

Sometimes this means removing old ways of thinking from our mind and old ways of behaving from our lives. It means that we must humble ourselves and admit we were wrong and need divine intervention. Once we have admitted that we need help, we must also be willing to follow the leading of God. When he puts people in our life who have ideas and advice, we must follow it, even if it is hard or requires us to swallow our pride. Proverbs 12:15 says that a wise man listens to counsel. And Proverbs 15:22 says that plans fail when we do not have good guidance. But an abundance of advisors helps to ensure a positive result. 

If you have reached the end of your own ideas and wisdom or as some people like to say, reached the end of your rope, reach out to God for help. Ask him how to change and be willing to accept the answers he gives and path he leads you down. God does not always show us the beginning of the road and the end of the journey we are on. Instead he often leads us in stages and gives us the answers to our prayers in pieces. This is because he wants to develop a relationship with us and build our faith in him. As we follow his leading and watch him rebuild our lives, we can benefit greatly from putting our trust his process. 

Instant results are rare in life and usually do not last long. The process God uses might be slow and seem tedious or boring at times, but God is building something in our life that will last. He wants to build a relationship with us that will last for eternity. Our life can be a testimony to his grace and faithfulness, if we trust him and submit control of our life to him.