I don’t like spending a lot of time worrying about things I can’t change.
There’s a difference between planning for the future and obsessing over it. I can look ahead. I can prepare. I can consider the possibilities and make the best decisions I can with the information I have. Sometimes that means having a Plan B. Occasionally it means having Plans C, D and E waiting in the wings too.
But eventually, there comes a point when there’s nothing more I can do.
At that point, continuing to think about the unknown doesn’t accomplish anything. It doesn’t solve the problem. It doesn’t give me any additional control over what happens next. It just gives uncertainty more room in my head than it deserves.
And if I spend too much time focusing on everything that might happen, I’m going to make myself miserable over things that may never happen at all.
So I try to focus instead on what’s in front of me.
What can I do today? What decision can I make? What problem can I actually solve? What responsibility is mine, and what isn’t?
That doesn’t mean I’m always successful at letting go. I’m human. My mind can still wander into all the possible scenarios and start trying to figure out how each one might play out. But I’ve learned that there’s very little value in continually rehearsing futures that don’t exist yet.
My faith plays a huge role in that.
Jesus said, “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself” (Matthew 6:34).
That isn’t an instruction to be irresponsible. It doesn’t mean we shouldn’t plan or prepare. It means there eventually comes a point when planning has to give way to trust. And I choose to trust the Lord with the unknown.
He created all of this. He sees things I can’t see. He knows what’s around the corner long before I get there. Scripture repeatedly tells us not to worry, but to trust Him, even when we don’t understand what He’s doing.
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5).
That can be easier to quote than to practice.
Still, I’ve lived long enough to look backward and see plenty of things I once worried about that eventually worked themselves out. Sometimes the outcome was different from what I expected. Sometimes it took longer than I wanted. And sometimes what happened turned out far better than anything I could have planned for myself.
That doesn’t mean every uncertainty ends exactly the way I want it to. Faith isn’t a guarantee that life will always follow my preferred script. It means I don’t have to know the ending before I take the next step.
So that’s how I deal with uncertainty. I plan when planning is useful. I prepare when preparation is possible. I deal with the things that are actually in front of me. And when I reach the things I can’t control, I try to let them go.
I’ll take care of what I can today and trust tomorrow to the One who is already there.
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Copyright © 2026 Doug DeBolt
