The fog hung heavily in the air. The dense white air blurred everything but a few feet in front of my car. I proceeded cautiously along the one-lane road, paying close attention to the reflectors embedded in the pavement. Sometimes life can feel like that, can’t it when you are struggling to make difficult decisions. But you can negotiate successfully through the fog of your challenge.
Photo: Rory Björkman on Unspash
What happened next, on that trip, prompted me to think about how to get through a foggy challenge successfully.
The Danger of Navigating in the Fog
Red lights glowed through the fog, slowing my speed even more. I noticed a brave firefighter, barely visible standing in the roadway directing traffic. A wreck had eliminated the southbound lane, causing us all to share the one that remained.
I got the signal indicating it was my turn to advance. But I glanced up and saw a vehicle approaching quickly toward me.
The driver’s face was frozen in terror, her body hunched toward the windshield. Her gaze was laser-focused on the teenager standing beside a crumpled vehicle.
In her understandable concern about her daughter, she had almost caused a second accident, compounding her problems.
But, thankfully the firefighter, with much gesturing, captured her attention averting a head-on collision with me.
Because of her focus on the accident, she had missed the guide who was directing us to safety.
The Fog of Challenges in Real Life
How many times have I done the same thing? Not in the fog of early morning, but in the fog of challenges in my life.
Maybe you have experienced them too. You know the ones where there is a problem in your life that is huge. Perhaps you have more debt than income, or maybe you have a sick family member with no apparent cure.
The problem may appear to be insurmountable, with no end in sight.
The problem and my worry about it can become all I can see. Just like the woman whose daughter had been involved in a collision.
Have you experienced this? You can feel immersed in cloudiness at these times. An altered sensation where vision is occluded and voices are muted.
And, just like the mom driving through the fog, it’s easy to get off course. Possibly landing in a situation more dangerous than the one we feared.
Photo: Heidi Fin on Unsplash
We have a choice. We can try to come up with our own solutions or ask for the advice of friends.
Or we can seek God’s help.
But You Can Negotiate Successfully Through the Fog of Your Challenge.
But, before I do, I need to think about some key factors:
Am I ready to trust God in this fog?
Is He willing to help me?
Does God know the depth of difficulty in my situation?
Do I expect that He will answer?
My fog is about a new project. I decided that I’m ready to trust God. I have found, without His help, I cannot even decide where to start! (Here’s a song by Pat Barett about trust that you might enjoy.)
I worked through the other questions and answered yes to each of them. Here are the verses that were helpful to me.
God is willing to help me. Philippians 4:6 tells us He wants us to pray to Him about everything. He doesn’t want us to worry about any situation, even this one. Instead, God wants us to tell Him what we need and thank Him for what He has done.
Our loving Father knows the depth of our situations. He knows our thoughts and what concerns us. So, He knows what we are going through. (Psalm 139:1-6)
Yes, I expect Him to answer. I have to remind myself to wait for His response. But when I slow down, I remember His answers to my prayers. Psalm 91:14-15 assures us that God will answer us when we call on Him.
In fact, Psalm 91:15-15 explains what else God will do for us.
“The Lord says, “I will rescue those who love me.
I will protect those who trust in my name.
15 When they call on me, I will answer;
I will be with them in trouble.
I will rescue and honor them.” Psalm 91:15-16 (NLT)
So, even in our difficult situation, if we love and trust God, He will protect and be with us. He will rescue and honor us. In case you missed it, here are more ideas about navigating difficult times.
If you trust and follow God, you can negotiate successfully through the fog of your challenge. And I can too.