When You Find Yourself Asking, "Now What?"

We’ve gone through much change lately. At every turn, it seemed like we were stepping into something new. First, Dad passed away. It seemed impossible that this world had been emptied of his daily presence. I found myself wanting to pick up the phone to tell him the latest news, or to hear his voice, but that couldn’t happen. 

Then, our older daughter moved overseas to study. While we celebrated her sense of collegiate adventure, the alarming nature of time’s swift march struck us with unexpected force. Hadn’t we just enrolled her in kindergarten? And finally, our younger daughter left for college, leaving my husband and me inside our empty, echoing nest. 

I worried that all that change—all at once—would create a vacuum, sucking up so much laughter, so many conversations, and the center points on which our worlds pivoted. 

When it all quieted down, my husband and I turned to each and asked, “Well, now what?” Now what would we do with our time, our evenings, our social lives, our priorities? Now what would we do in this strange Land of Something New? 

In response to all of those “now whats,” we started . . . “now-whatting.” 

“Now-whatting” took us on new adventures. We cooked new foods in our new air fryer. We’ve eaten out a lot, probably more than we should. (Note the theme of food.) 

We told stories of Dad and FaceTimed our daughters. We found ourselves saying to one another, “I really like spending time with you!” 

A sudden switch or rerouting can upend you. You may find yourself lifting your face to God, asking, “Now what?” Stepping into something new can be scary, for sure. Yet the world opens up, beckoning you to embrace the adventure with a new hobby, a class, a new perspective, or wherever your “now-whatting” leads you. 

May you embrace your own kind of “now-whatting,” where you sense God drawing you from the emptiness into a new and lovely season of life. 

“See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” ISAIAH 43:19 NIV 

Where are you finding God’s strength today? 

This is an excerpt from 100 Days of Strength in Any Struggle from (in)courage – a devotional now available on DaySpring.com. Shop all books, journals, and devotions from DaySpring here.