When You Feel Anxious and Lost
Ever been in the “in-between” phase of a major transition or decision? It can be the absolute worst time. You know exactly how you would like to see things turn out, but it is foggy as to how it could even be possible. Frustration and anxiety fill your heart and hours of ruminating choices consume your mind. There is intense tension between what is right now and where we want to be. This is where sadness, anger, impatience, and doubt can fill the time in between.
In business, there is a term called “gap analysis”. Evaluating where a company is now, where it wants to go, and filling in all of the details to get there. And it can be applied to our personal circumstances and life events.
One day on a beautiful hike, I was stumbling with frustration in each step over a loss that I had recently endured. I was feeling stuck, down on my luck, and frankly just hopeless. With tearful eyes, I glanced up at the sky and noticed two giant cumulus clouds puffing their chests towards one another. In the middle was the sun shining its light and pouring its rays right through those clouds as if it was connecting them. At that moment I realized “God is in the Gap”.
I mean, we know God is everywhere and always with us even when it doesn’t feel so, but the gap is where we grow. God wants to know us and grow us even more in that space in between the unknown of unforeseen things. I realized then we often do not get to know how this gap of time will connect and close. There is so much in that gap that is beyond our control, even if we choose to forcefully place our energy there. But we can take the time and space to reconnect with God and to our soul. We can recenter and ground again to what is our truth. We can practice patience and ponder possibilities. We can take little steps towards where we want to be while simultaneously giving up the need for control of the outcome. No matter what we choose to do with that space, God is right there with us trying to bridge that gap and allow us to cross the bridge from where we are to where we want to be and He will create miraculous things in the in-between.
So ask yourself these questions:
What are the tiny steps you can take that can make the gap a little more narrow? Think of it as building a plank for each portion of the bridge you need to get across.
What do you need to reconnect with yourself? With God and His will?
How can you cultivate more patience? Give yourself grace with frustration?
