Uncertainty

“…when you have fear and uncertainty and you want to calculate, define, and control everything, then you’re not living in reality. You become a neurotic and cowardly person. Remember the Parable of the Talents. The man who hid his talent, who hid his charisma, hid from life—he was afraid to live. What do we do? We fear living. We’re afraid to be. We’re afraid of everything. And so, we don’t live, we don’t exist. This fear of not losing anything will not give you a peaceful life in the end. You’ll always have the fear of feeling pain, the fear that there will be difficulties. And the big trouble is that we raise our children the same way. We think the most important thing is to take extra care so they never feel pain and never want for anything. But if a person doesn’t feel a lack of anything, if he doesn’t feel pain, then he won’t be able to learn to withstand pain, difficulties, and trials. We’re helicopter parents. We constantly rush to help our children, and as soon as we see that something’s not working for them, we “fly” into their lives. All so our child won’t feel pain, so he’ll have everything, so he gets everything ready-made. It’s scary.” (Fr. Charalampos Papadopoulos)

“I am not self-sufficient, if I need others, this is vulnerability and uncertainty, because other whole persons in their own reality will never be entirely predictable and safe for me. I will need to be willing to let go of my own narrative—the story I tell myself about myself—because once I come into connection with another person in all their reality, my story will change. I will no longer have total control of my story, and I will not know exactly where I am going.” (Andrew Williams)

“Many people want certainty in life, but Jesus taught and commanded love. Love is not certainty. Love is not even quantifiable. We cannot determine how much are we to love. Have we loved enough? Who is my neighbor that I’m supposed to love? (Luke 10:25-37) How many times must I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times? (Matthew 18:21-22) The New Testament shows us love cannot be put into a mathematical formula and so can’t be controlled by science. Sometimes we want exact, mathematically correct rules, so we know for certain that we are doing or have done God’s will. But the command to love leaves us with uncertainty for it can’t be quantified. We can always grow in love, we can always become more Christ-like. Love, not obedience, is the single most important Christian virtue.” (Fr. Ted Bobosh)

“During times of crisis and suffering, times of fear and uncertainty, we need to be supportive, responsible and loving to each other. This love and support is usually better expressed in actions rather than words unless we have come through prior suffering and experienced grace, blessing, and God’s love within the suffering even though the circumstances of our suffering may not have changed or immediately changed. It is only through this experience that we can speak from the heart and say words that reach another’s heart and don’t come off as empty platitudes. Being able to be thankful to God during trials is not easy unless you have experienced it. You can’t share what you don’t truly know.” (Sacramental Living Ministries)

“Remember what our spiritual life says about the future. "We are certain in our uncertainty. Certainty is the mark of the common sense life; gracious uncertainty is the mark of the spiritual life. To be certain of God means that we are uncertain in all our ways, we do not know what a day may bring forth. This is generally said with a sigh of sadness; it should be rather an expression of breathless expectation. We are uncertain of the next step, but we are certain of God. We are not uncertain of God, but uncertain of what He is going to do next. He packs our life with surprises all the time.” (Fr. Luke Veronis)

“Faith is a gift of God. It is the strong conviction of belief, the certainty of the truth…But over time such confidence of belief can become mixed with uncertainty.” (Fr. Basil)

“We tend not only to worry, but to presume.  We are masters of our fate!  We will decide what we will do in the future…A good way of living would acknowledge the uncertainty of all our plans…with a tentativeness born from humility.  We should say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and shall do this or that” (James 4:15).  We may plan for the future, but must live one day at a time.” (Fr. Lawrence Farley)

“We wonder about so much. We are unsure about so many different things. Universally, we all struggle with uncertainty to some extent. It is human nature to want to know and be sure. Finding certainty in this world has proven to be elusive. However, there is something on which we can lean all of our weight upon and be certain of, and that is the love of God. It is important for us to first reflect on this before we process all the uncertainty in our lives. It is important because the love of God is the great simplifier. It simplifies our lives in that all else, all of our perceptions and meanings we assign to life events, have to be measured up to the love of God to make sure they are consistent with what we know and believe about the love of God. It is also the great simplifier because it reduces all of our pain and struggles to what will prove to be temporary and fleeting experiences.” (Fr. Joshua Makoul)

“The everyday difficulties of life can bring uncertainty about the future and disturb the soul. This poisons a person with needless fear. In contrast, we can confront daily life the right way by leaving everything in God’s hands. With peace in the heart and grateful prayer to Him, we can do what we need to do, without being troubled: “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God” (verse 6). If we continue to do this, with full confidence in God, then “the peace of God which surpasses all understanding”(verse 7) comes to us in ways that we cannot imagine. The Grace of God fills the heart of the Christian with peace and assurance. God’s peace does not depend on outside factors; it is God’s gift to the heart of every person who trusts in Him. When this happens, a person can experience the power of God in their life…When a person is finally free of the anxiety and agony that fills them, they can then seek those things which are truly good for the soul and provide comfort.” (Metropolitan of Pisidia Sotirios)

“The world in which we live is an anxious one, rife with fear and doubt. Economic markets rise and fall, employment fluctuates, conflicts erupt in unexpected places, and each year seems to bring a threat of some new virus that threatens mankind. We are all continuously faced with events outside of our control. As time passes the future takes on greater uncertainty. Indeed, it is often our struggle with uncertainty that plagues our spiritual life and gives birth to fear and worry.” (Fr. Joshua Makoul) “I have faith that God will carry us through this time of uncertainty. It is not the first time in human history that our country has been confronted by a health crisis. “Like many of you, I am struggling with how to react appropriately to this disease that has suddenly invaded our country. Many are overreacting. Many are underreacting. And many are unsure how to react…Emotion clouds reason. This is an objective truth. When we come at things in an emotional way, reason has a hard time prevailing. Obviously, there is emotion now. People are scared. No one wants to get sick, or get someone else sick, or see anyone die. We are all concerned about that. I am also concerned that the consequences of the coronavirus will result in not only physical harm, but financial harm to many. With many businesses, schools and sports franchises suspending operations, faithful workers who live paycheck to paycheck are going to find themselves in financial straits. Hundreds have already lost jobs and financial livelihood. With the stock market erratic, the economy will be affected. Business owners are concerned. Businesses that depend on overseas interactions are uncertain about their futures. Closed schools affect not only students but working parents who now will have their children at home. This is a time for calm, for reason and for sensibility. It is a time for grace and patience. Everyone needs to be more patient and give more grace to everyone.” (Fr. Stavros N. Akrotirianakis) “…remember that faith is only partly a matter of mind and emotions. Mostly it is complying, even if we do not understand or if we have doubts, or even if we do not especially wish to do what the Lord asks. Faith definitely entails risks and uncertainty.” (Dynamis 12/29/12) “Feeling a little uncertain and afraid is at the very least understandable, but it is not a sign of weakness or faithlessness. How often in the scriptures does God tell us to "Fear not!"?... I've been told often that I see the world through rose-colored glasses…Nevertheless, I prefer to see the world as a gift from God…Pascha is my justification for my rose-colored understanding. When we see the world through the lens of the empty tomb, we see a world that is broken but saved. We see people suffering, but with hope of eternity. We see a world temporarily divided, but united in Christ. We see the suffering and alienation of darkness, but the brilliance of Christ's light. We are separated from our departed, but already restored. If I speak like a "crazy person," I do so because this craziness is true. Only from the empty tomb can anything of the fallen world make sense or be restored. Only the light of the empty tomb can take away the darkness created by sin. Christ has joined Himself to us and gives us access to Himself. In the light of Resurrection, the world doesn't look so bad…God is active in our lives and in charge. Don't be afraid. Christ Is Risen!” (Bishop John) “Pain, uncertainty, fear, can put anyone in the dark place where God may seem far away…Even though things can and are still difficult, and uncertainty is part of dealing with illness, I do know that I can rely on the power of prayer and that is enough to give me hope.” (Edith M. Humphrey, Christina Kampas)

“I consider myself a pretty devout Christian—I’ve centered not only my career, but also my life around Christ and the Church. Many times I still wonder is my faith really as strong as I think it is, or do I lead others to believe that it is. Many things in the world still don’t make sense to me, whether it is my own shortcomings or the disappointing things that go on in society. I wonder about God’s “master plan” and what role I play in it. Sometimes I wonder if there really is a plan or if He allows things just to happen at random.” (Fr. Stavros N. Akrotirianakis)

"I don’t always understand what’s going on, or what is going to happen, in relationships, in financial matters, and various other situations. But when the uncertainty begins to dampen my spirits, let me remind myself that God does, in fact, know, and understand, everything far better than I do. Let me pray today for His will for me, even if I don’t know or understand it, and the grace to realize it in my life." (Sr. Dr. Vassa Larin)

“No one feels God's presence all the time, at every moment of his or her life. Even the greatest saints have moments of doubt, uncertainty, and darkness.” (Rev. Christopher H. Martin)

“ ‘The only thing I knew how to do was to keep on keepin' on.’ Bob Dylan penned these lyrics and to me they sometimes sound like a proverb. Sometimes you just feel spiritually down, like nothing makes sense, and your efforts are not worth it. God is every bit as present with you in those moments as He is when you are feeling great. You just have to keep being prayerful, trusting to His presence, and knowing “this too shall pass.” (Sacramental Living Ministries)

“Be honest enough to question God but brave enough to step out in faith. This approach will carry us through challenging circumstances. In fact, one without the other simply never rises to the level of true belief.” (Father Barnabas Powell)

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