How to Break Free from Fear of an Uncertain Future

Does the thought of not knowing your future leave you paralyzed? Here’s how to find freedom from fear of an uncertain future by Stacey Pardoe. Read on for Day 7 in the What Freedom in Christ Looks Like Online Event by the Blogger Voices Network, hosted right here at KellyRBaker.com.

Stacey Pardoe is a lover of the woods, a passionate and imperfect follower of Christ, the mother of three blue-eyed children, the wife of Darrell, and much more. She writes words about her walk of faith in the in-between moments, and she mentors and teaches the Bible to younger women.  

Autumn’s early dusk shrouded me in darkness the night I realized I was stuck.

Alone in the room with the children’s photos on the walls and the moon leaking milky white through the curtain, I stared down the enemy, and I named it in a whisper:  The fear of an uncertain future had me utterly paralyzed.

It wasn’t the first time I’d tasted this fear.  I tasted it the year I entered into a career as a high school special education teacher and felt every sense of control over my environment slip out the narrow gap of the classroom window.  I tasted it when the doctor looked at me and uttered a diagnosis I was entirely unprepared to receive. I tasted it when I was utterly terrified to step into a calling that felt way too big for my little life.

We each have our own battles with fear, and our fears threaten to paralyze us from fulfilling God’s plans for our lives.

Wrestling with Fear

That night with the moon shining white on the wall had me wrestling with the fear that the child growing within me might not make it.

We were in the early stages of the first trimester, and I knew the statistics.  I’d seen it lived out with countless loved ones, and I’d tasted the bitter reality of grieving over little lives that seemed to end far too soon.  Simply put, I was afraid to let myself love the little one growing inside of me, because loving fully felt entirely too dangerous.

Sometimes believing God’s best about the future – sometimes holding onto hope – feels nothing short of dangerous.  If I let myself hope, it might hurt way too much if my dream is crushed, and so, I tell myself it’s safer not to hold onto hope.

Sadly, when I live with this kind of limited hope, I let fear guide my life.

3 Truths to Find Freedom from Fear of an Uncertain Future

As I worked through my fear of the future of our unborn child, I gleaned several truths that eventually led me to freedom from fear in Christ.  If you are wrestling with fear of an uncertain future, hold onto these truths for yourself today:

Freedom from Fear Comes when I Cling to Living Hope

I am a woman who embraces opportunities to “fix” the circumstances surrounding me.  I carry bandages in my purse, keep a sewing kit in the car, and feel accomplished when I make wrong things right.  Unfortunately, my ability to fix my circumstances can easily become my primary source of hope.

She clings to the Living Hope.  1 Peter 1:3 reminds us that God has called us to a Living Hope.  Jesus is the Living Hope in the thick of your uncertainty.  

Freedom comes when you resist the urge to fix your circumstances or manipulate your future.  These false sources of hope fall short. Christ is your hope in the midst of your fear. When you encounter him in the storm of uncertainty, the weapon the enemy intended to use for your destruction (fear) is turned against him as you use that fear to lead you closer to your loving Father.

Freedom from Fear Comes when I Trust a Plan That Is Already Written

As I processed my fears about the future of our precious baby, I was reassured by the truth that all the days ordained for the child’s life were already written (see Psalm 139:16 NASB).  

We do not need to fear the future, because God is sovereign over what is to come.

Our role is to honor him and aim to follow him as well as we know how.  When we live with pure intentions to whole-heartedly obey, God holds the outcome in his hands.  

Freedom from Fear Comes when I am Willing to Risk for the Sake of Love

Perhaps you are afraid to let yourself hope for the best as you look to the future.  Maybe your dream was crushed in the past. Maybe holding onto hope hurt, and you’re set on guarding your heart to avoid the pain that comes when excitement is extinguished by disappointment.

If this is you, hold onto this truth: Jesus risked everything for the sake of love.

You will find freedom when you let yourself go “all in” after your dream, when you let yourself fall wildly in love with your unborn child, when you fight with all your heart to save your marriage, when you lay it all on the line without walls of protection.

Jesus laid down his life for the sake of love.  He showed the world what love is when he died on the cross to pay the price for our sins.  He poured it all out, and there was a price, but the price was worth the effort.

You will find freedom when you set aside your fear and risk for the sake of love.

No Regrets

Eight months after that dark night of wrestling through my fears, our third child came into the world with clenched fists and outstretched arms.  I had loved him without walls throughout the course of a very long pregnancy, and for our family, the risk concluded with the fulfillment of a dream and the gift of a child.

I know that every story doesn’t end with a fruitful outcome, and I know what it is to see a loved one lost, despite hopeful prayers.  I know what it is to weep behind the locked bathroom door as little fists pound to come in. However, even when the future didn’t work out as I hoped, I have never for a moment regretted risking all for the sake of love.

Free Gift

If you would like to take a journey into a life that is more intentional in the ways you connect with God and with others, my gift to you today is my free 21-day devotional Unrushed: Train Yourself to be Less Hurried, More Disciplined, and More Intentional in Your Relationships with God and Others.  Each day of this journey will focus on one of the following: your thoughts, your relationship with God, or your relationships with others. This is a transformational journey into a life that is more present – more fully lived. Click here, and I’ll send this free resource to your email inbox! 

Want to help others discover freedom from fear of an uncertain future? Use the icons below to share this post!