Doubt Your Doubts About Your Future

I remember saying to a friend about this time last year that I wasn’t sure I would ever preach again. Not so much because I was sick of preaching, but because I couldn’t imagine why any church or group would ever want to hear from a failed church planter like me. I believed I had lost the opportunity to use my strengths to do one of the things I most enjoy.

For a couple of months, I didn’t preach. It was a good thing too. I didn’t have anything positive or helpful to say. Then one day I got a call from a friend who invited me to speak at his organization’s leadership retreat. It was followed by an invitation to speak at an event for young adults in California. Then came a call from a church in Houston looking for someone to fill four Sundays while they searched for a new pastor.

Over the past nine months, I’ve spoken over forty times to groups and churches across the country. My weekend calendar is almost completely booked through March 2012. Yet a year ago, I seriously doubted if I would ever get the opportunity to use my public speaking gift again.

This surprising turn of events has taught me a lot.

1. Negative thoughts and feelings immediately following a failure cannot be trusted. Pain magnifies them and distorts our view of reality. This is natural and unavoidable and yet another reason why failure is all it’s cracked up to be. It is wise to avoid making any huge, life-changing decisions when overwhelmed by the darkness of failure, because there’s an excellent chance the worst case scenario you’re conjuring in your head will have absolutely no bearing on your future. Unless you give it the power to do so.

2. I have some great friends who helped me get back in the game. Without their calls, invitations, recommendations, and endorsements I might have remained stuck in the mire. (You all know who you are. I got your back, big time.)

3. God is greater than our limited imaginations for our future, especially when we are hurting. When I wasn’t sure what I was going to do next, God used my friends to open doors and show me new possibilities. This is why I’m going to celebrate the heck out of Thanksgiving this year.

What about you?

What doubts do you have about your future?

• That you’ll never fall in love again.
• That no one will ever again trust you with anything important.
• That you’ll never have another great idea.
• That you’re doomed to hear “no” for the rest of your life.

Since you’re already plagued with doubts, why not go ahead and add one more to the mix?

Try doubting your doubts.

Open yourself to the possibility that things aren’t really as bad as they feel right now.

Give it some time. Keep walking. Answer the phone. Talk to your friends. Be nice to strangers.

A year from now I bet you’re surprised at just how wrong you were about your future.