What Do I Know For Sure?

In Daniel Chapter 2, King Nebuchadnezzar demands that Babylon's wisest men interpret his disturbing dream. When they admit that no one on earth can do it, he commands that they all be executed.

When Daniel heard this, he exercised wisdom and asked the king for more time to interpret the dream. Daniel then went to his friends and asked them to pray and seek the Lord for mercy, asking Him to reveal the dream.

That night, God revealed the dream to Daniel in a vision, and Daniel gave all the glory and honor to God for hearing their prayers.

Daniel knew that in a moment of anxiety, doubt, and fear, the only thing to do was seek the face of God and cry out for His help. Instead of dwelling on what he didn’t know, he did what he knew to do.

When Hard Work Was Not Enough

I have been a nanny for over 15 years, and it is something I always come back to. I love children and helping families with the challenging task of raising kind, healthy humans. Now that my own children are grown, one of my dreams has been to become a travel nanny. In 2024, I worked hard to break into the Rota nanny world, and no matter how many connections I made or agencies that represented me, I just couldn't land a role.

What is a Rota nanny? Basically, it’s a nanny who works rotating shifts, often flying to the family for seven days and then flying home for seven days. Traveling the world and getting out of my comfort zone was a BIG goal of mine. I was so frustrated and extremely confused, to say the least.

My Turning Point

In the last week of March 2025, our 21-year-old son, Taylor, became very ill with viral meningitis and ended up in the ICU. While he was there, doctors found a large brain tumor, and the trauma, grief, and pain that followed are not something I would wish on anyone. Everything I was once working towards came to a screeching halt, and my whole world pivoted to one thing only: my precious son and his health journey.

That is when I started to understand why those doors had stayed closed. For the next 16 months, I poured every ounce of my energy, focus, and strength into finding Taylor the very best care. Praise God, the most skilled surgeons in the world removed his tumor completely, and he has since recovered. His next MRI is coming up soon, and although we are nervous, we trust that God spared Taylor’s life and that he will get an ALL CLEAR.

God saw what was coming and knew that it would take all of my strength to endure
what was ahead. He knew I needed to be home to help Taylor heal. I didn’t know any of that, but I have since learned that when absolutely nothing seems to be happening, there is most likely a good reason.

There was a whole lot that I didn’t know as I walked Taylor through suffering, healing, and recovery, but with God’s help, I did my best to cling to what I did know. Sometimes I would just say out loud the promises I knew God had given us. I would speak those promises over Taylor and our family. There were days when doubt and fear overshadowed what I knew to be true. But every single time I cried out in desperation, the peace of Christ would overtake my heart and soul, and I knew He would get us through one more day.

When the Doors Began to Open

Once Taylor was fully recovered and settled into a residency program at a local church, the doors began opening for me, one by one. On September 15, I flew to Chicago to help a family there, and it was a great experience. This week, I am flying to San Francisco to help another family, and I do not doubt that God opened both of these doors.

Soon, I have an interview for some longer-term roles, and I have zero trepidation, because I have learned that when the time is right, it will happen. Sometimes what we want right now has to wait, but God never forgets, and someday your dream will come true too.

What to Do When You Do Not Know What to Do

Think about something in your life that causes you great confusion. Instead of getting stuck in that mind loop, switch your focus to this one question: What do I know for sure?

Daniel's story and mine give us a simple pattern we can follow:

1. Pause and shut out the noise.
2. Seek wise community.
3. Pray specifically.
4. Wait humbly.
5. Act on the wisdom you have, even if it is only the next step.
   Ask yourself that question over and over again, and see what happens.