Wouldn’t it be great if the world could make it an entire week without something crazy happening somewhere? Just seven days of stability. A chance for everyone to take a breath and get their footing again. Shoot, I’d settle for twenty-four hours.
There’s nothing new about instability and uncertainty. We’re not the first generation to experience political division or economic stress. Every generation has its own version of craziness, but that doesn’t make it any easier to handle. The roller coaster is always unsettling.
The unsteadiness is heavy, and it leads to anxiety, uncertainty, and exhaustion. I’ve talked to enough people to know that the feeling is widespread. It crosses generations, backgrounds, and political lines.
If the unsteadiness is getting to you, you’re not alone, and there’s a better way to get through it.
A Lesson in the Gym
Recently, I completed a pretty tough workout. It was only twenty-eight minutes, but it was intense. Seven four-minute rounds of running, power cleans, and burpees. The first few rounds weren’t bad, but rounds five through seven were brutal. By the end, my legs were shaking, and I was unsteady on my feet. At one point I had to hold onto the squat rack just to keep my balance so I didn’t fall.
I needed something stronger than me to hold me up.
This isn’t just a workout story. It’s a life lesson. In some seasons you move fine on your own. In others, the rounds get long, and you need something solid to hold onto.
When you don’t have the strength to stand on your own, you need something stronger to lean on.
The Bible Speaks About This
Proverbs 3 is densely packed with advice and principles that speak directly to the shaky moments we’re living in today.
Proverbs is a book of wisdom for living in God’s design. The tone of chapter three is that of a father speaking to his son, a young man he loves and wants good things for. He opens with this:
My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart, for they will prolong your life many years and bring you peace and prosperity. Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. (Proverbs 3:1–4)
It’s easy to imagine God’s instructions as a heavy weight we spend our lives trying to carry. Maybe you’ve seen the cartoons that show God as an old man in a cloud ready to throw lightning bolts at people who step out of line. This image of God can make your relationship with Him feel heavy and, let’s be honest, a little scary.
It’s vital to see that God’s instruction here is not framed as a burden or a punishment but as a gift from a loving father. The father isn’t saying, “Do this or else.” He’s saying, “Do this and here’s what it will bring you.” Peace. Favor. Health. Straight paths.
Who doesn’t want a life like that?
And the big-picture truth of God’s word is that: God’s commands don’t restrict your life—they bring you life.
Leaning on God is an Invitation
Proverbs 3:5–6 are the most well-known verses in the book of Proverbs for good reason. People memorize it and say it when life gets hard. It’s great advice when you’re facing a big decision.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. (Proverbs 3:5–6)
The word that jumps out to me is “lean.” My kids do this. When they’re tired or scared, they lean into me. They put their weight on me because they trust that I’m strong enough to hold them up.
Trusting God is more than just believing He exists.
It’s placing the full weight of your life onto His strength.
The verse says, lean not on your own understanding. That’s not telling us to stop thinking or acting on our own. It’s encouraging you to not treat your own intelligence, feelings, or circumstances as the most reliable thing in the room. Because when those things shift, and they will, you have nothing left to hold onto.
The fatherly advice is simple: lean on something that doesn’t shift. Lean on the wisdom of God.
Nineteen Years Ago
Nineteen years ago, I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis.
I was twenty-eight years old and pastoring a one-year-old church. We had been married for several years and were dreaming about having a family. The diagnosis was an absolute punch in the gut. It knocked the air out of me. What would this mean for my health, my family, and for the church we’d given everything to plant?
I had questions I couldn’t answer: How long will I live? Will we be able to have kids? What does this mean for everything we’ve built?
I sat in the weight of that shock for a week. Until day seven. On day seven, God woke me up. I can’t explain it except to say that I was hit with the most clarifying thought. As if God asked me:
If you can trust Me with forever, why can’t you trust Me with this?
That moment I had with God was sobering. It was the loving confrontation of a father, and it shifted how I was thinking.
The diagnosis didn’t disappear, but something in me became more grounded. I realized the thing I needed most was a stronger place to put my burden.
The Bible doesn’t promise an easy life. What it promises is a steady life for the person who trusts. And the deeper your trust, the steadier your footing.
Take Action
This week, take a few minutes to honestly reflect: Where do I feel most unsteady right now? Name it. Don’t rush past the question.
Then ask a harder question: What am I leaning on when things feel unsteady? My own ability to figure it out? My finances? Other people’s opinions? Those things aren’t wrong to have. They’re just not strong enough to hold you when the rounds get brutal.
Open Proverbs 3 this week and read it slowly. Let the words settle. Trust grows through exposure to God’s Word.
Finally, if there’s one specific area where you’ve been trying to carry the weight alone, hand it over. Not because you’re weak, but because He is strong enough to hold it.
All for Jesus,
Brad D. Jenkins
P.S. — If this has been helpful, please send me a message at brad@bradjenkins.me and let me know. My writing aims to help people enjoy a vibrant relationship with Jesus, and it is an honor to be on this journey with you. To read previous newsletters or to sign up so that you don’t miss future posts, visit www.bradjenkins.me/blog.