It is with a happy heart and a big smile that I introduce my first guest post and my best friend, Regine Darius. Regine and I have known each other for seven years! Wow, I didn't think it was that long ago since we met in the cafeteria during our first week as college freshmen. We've shared so many awesome moments and I can't imagine life without her. We've also had our fair share of bumpy moments, but those have really strengthen our relationship. Regine is a writer (currently working on her first novel [insert scream]) and she also has a personal blog, My Story Matters. Today she's sharing the challenge of faith in the midst of uncertainty. Thank you for writing, Regine. And thank you for reading. 

-Marie 
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I did not expect to be here again. One chapter closing while not knowing where the next chapter will open up to. The last time this happened was when I was a freshman in college. I was at the brink of losing my scholarship and it was likely that I would have to drop out of school. That summer when the committee was reviewing my appeal, I was holding on to a verse my friend sent me:

Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

And He did, I graduated from college debt-free. But it was not easy because I didn't know that during the summer after my freshman year. In that moment, I was stressed, I was worried. I was freaked out and I wasn't sure how everything was going to work out. I didn't know that the scholarship committee would give me another chance and that I would raise my GPA the next semester. I didn't know but all I did know was that God had a hope and a future for me, although when I tried to envision it, I saw nothing but blackness. I didn't know back then.

And here I am again, fresh out of my Master's program, not sure where I'm going. I want to be a novelist but to write a best-seller takes time and time is money, which I need to survive until that happens. So naturally the question of what am I supposed to do in the meantime pops up, followed by which jobs should I be pursing in order to pay the bills.

These questions flood my mind and I get overwhelmed and I get worried but my perspective isn't as dismal as before. Yea, I don't know what my future holds exactly and I wish a crystal ball would help me see it but I have something better, I have someone better: I have God.

Lamentations 3:24 (NIV)
I say to myself, "The Lord is my portion; therefore, I will hope in Him."

Another word for portion is future and when plugged into the verse above, I get so excited because it means that the Lord is my future!

Although I can't see the exact job I'll get or when my book gets published, I still know my future because I know my God.

Why would I worry when God plans to give me hope and a future?
Why would I be scared when God is good and faithful?
Why would I be overwhelmed when God says that He will always be the one to sustain me?
Why would I stress when God says that He will provide for all my needs and then some because He is able to do exceedingly and abundantly more than I could ever ask or imagine?

I might not have all the details but I do have God.

God + nothing = everything

A few weeks ago, on the highway, I passed a freight truck that said, "Know More, Worry Less" on its side. At first I shrugged it off because the statement seemed oxymoronic.

But now, now it doesn't sound so crazy.

Instead of looking around to try to figure out my future, I need to lift up my perspective. I need to see God because once you know the God who holds your life, who knows your future, who guides all your steps, worry doesn't crowd your vision anymore.

You know who goes before you and you know that He's always good. And if He's your future then there's really nothing to worry about.

Whatever you're facing today, whatever questions are crowding your mind always remember that God is the answer. There's nothing you don't know if you truly know God.

Regine Darius
Author at My Story Matters