It was the year 2000 and the week of our passing out from NYSC. I was filled with trepidation as the week approached. Anxiety and worry took over my entire being. I lost my sleep. My mind was troubled about what the future had in store.
I had received the very last NYSC allowance. Reality was about to set in. I knew there was really nothing to fall back on. I was now about to be thrown into the job market. Everything was so uncertain that the future looked bleak.
I ‘served’ in Port Harcourt and I lived at Nkpolu-Rumuigbo on the way to Choba where University of Port Harcourt is located. During my NYSC, I attended the Church of God Mission in that community, pastored by a staff of Shell at that time. He was smallish in stature and stammered a bit.
What he lacked in stature, he made up for with his big heart. I’m not sure I recall any of his sermons but I can never forget the warmth I felt in that church. So, on the Tuesday of our Passing Out week, all I could think of was to find a place to let out my anxieties.
I walked into an empty church, laid on the altar, and wept. What happened next gave me the courage I needed for the future. Read my story of faith, anxiety, and finding peace. Share on XSo, I headed to that church around 9 am.
When I got to the church that morning, I saw the door open. I poked my head slightly in and shouted ‘Good morning!’ a couple of times but there was no response. There was no one inside the church or around the church.
I approached the altar where a wine coloured rug was laid. I climbed the altar, laid prostrate and started to weep. My heart was heavy. I prayed as I wept, crying to God to help me. I don’t know for how long I wept but I slept off right on the altar.
All I remember was that I woke up with a start and looked at the wall clock placed around the altar. The time was 11am. I’d been lying right there for about two hours.
When I woke up, I felt a calmness that could not be explained.
I had a new level of courage that God had taken over my future. Till date, I still remember the drastic exchange that happened within those few hours. I was no longer afraid of what the future holds because I know the One who holds the future.
I’m grateful that 25 years after the incident, God has proved Himself faithful. I’ve discovered that worry robs us of the joy of the present. Worry keeps us from seeing the possibilities of the future.
I didn’t know what the future held—but I chose to trust the One who holds it. And that made all the difference. Share on XDon’t worry about what the future holds especially if you can trust God with your future. Live in the moment even as you anticipate a better future. Don’t focus so much on the future that you don’t enjoy the present. Relax. Stop fretting.
Most of the things you’re worried about will not even happen. According to Henry Ward Beecher, “Every tomorrow has two handles. We can take hold of it with the handle of anxiety or the handle of faith.”
The choice is yours.