It was almost ten years ago. I was driving home from Ft Smith to Memphis on I40 when I saw the van in front of me run off the interstate and flip over numerous times. The van came to rest on its side in some brush about 20 yards off the road.
I quickly pulled over and just stared at the smoking van for a few seconds. A car behind me pulled up and a hysterical lady ran toward me screaming and asking what she could do. I told her to call 911, and I started running toward the van.
As I approached the van, all kinds of thoughts rushed through my head. I expected to see a family. What if children were in that van? I wasn’t sure how I was going to get them out. I wasn’t sure how injured they would be.
I climbed to the top of the van to get a look inside the driver’s side window. As I made my way up, I could see movement. The driver was trying to climb up. He was pushing the door. We were able to get it open, and he climbed out.
He was shaken, but not seriously injured. I looked back inside to see how many others were there but didn’t see anyone. He kept telling me that he was alone, but I wanted to make sure. The guy was not fully coherent. The crash and rollover were so impactful that his shoes had been jarred off his feet.
The van was still smoking, so I led him away from the van over to my vehicle. The lady was on the phone with 911, and help was in route.
Evidently, he had a seizure and lost control of the vehicle. He would be fine.
Looking back, the uncertainty of what I would find in that vehicle was one of the toughest mental challenges that I can recall. I had no idea what to expect, and my mind was taking me to all kinds of places as I raced to that van.
Uncertainty can be hard for many of us. We seek control. We long for comfort. We want to know the outcome.
We fear the unknown. We avoid the uncertain. We lose sleep over what we can’t see.
While it’s natural for many of us to struggle with uncertainty, we can’t allow it to cripple us.
Philippians 4:6-7 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God”.
Consider these thoughts as you seek to effectively deal with uncertainty in your life:
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Focus on today: By focusing on the moment in front of us, we alleviate the stress of tomorrow.
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Rest in faith of forever: Perspective beyond the uncertainty we face reduces the tension.
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Stay in control: Focusing on what we can control drives our day, actions, and mindset.
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Trusted friends matter: Talk about the anxiety of uncertainty. Don’t hold it and grow it.
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Thankful: Take a thankful walk. When we focus on thankfulness, the anxiety of uncertainty tends to diminish as our mindset turns to gratitude.
Uncertainty is a very real part of life. If you are struggling with it, it’s perfectly normal, but you don’t have to be controlled by it.
When the need of someone in that van becomes your focus, you don’t hesitate to run toward that issue regardless of the uncertainty of that door being opened!
Doug equips leaders to make organizations better. He has two leadership books available on all online platforms. Whether you are looking for a speaker for your next event or a leadership coach to develop people and build an authentic team, contact Doug at doug.strickel@gmail.com and learn more about PLUS.
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