God, I Don’t Know How to Keep Going: Finding Courage To Take The Next Step
Advent Through the Eyes of Mary — Episode 3
When the Road Wasn’t Chosen
God, I don’t know how to keep going when I don’t know where I’m going.
That question rises naturally in grief — especially during the holidays.
None of this was planned.
This wasn’t the road you mapped out for your life.
You didn’t choose to wake up to mornings where your child is no longer walking beside you — yet each day, here you are… breathing, rising, taking one more step forward anyway.
Grief places us on a journey we never asked to walk — a road where the future feels blurry and unfamiliar, and the question that keeps surfacing becomes:
How do I keep going when I don’t know what lies ahead?
Mary knew this road too.
When God’s Plan Required Movement
Not long after the angel visited Mary, Rome issued a decree that changed everything.
Luke 2:1–5 (NLT)
“At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire. All returned to their own ancestral towns to register for this census. And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea… He took with him Mary, to whom he was engaged, who was now expecting a child.”
Mary was heavily pregnant.
There were no comfort stops.
No paved roads.
No heated carriage.
Only miles of dusty travel — exhaustion in her body and questions in her heart.
She didn’t yet know where she would give birth.
Who would help her.
How safe the road would be.
What people would think.
She only knew one thing:
God was asking her to walk forward — without giving her a map.
When the Way Feels Unclear
There are days in grief that feel very much like this.
Days you didn’t choose to wake up to — but did anyway.
Moments where you put your feet on the floor not because you feel strong, but because you still have a life to live.
You’re not walking this road because you understand it.
You’re walking because there is some small flicker inside you that says:
I don’t know where I’m going… but I’m still here.
That is exactly where Mary was. She didn’t travel because everything made sense.
She traveled because obedience sometimes means moving forward even when clarity hasn’t arrived yet.
When Courage Takes Small Steps
Mary’s courage was not bold or dramatic.
It was quiet.
Steady.
Daily.
One tired step… then another.
In grief, courage rarely looks triumphant.
It looks like showing up with a tender heart.
It looks like breathing when your chest feels heavy.
It looks like surviving birthdays and empty chairs at holiday tables.
It looks like learning to carry love and loss in the same breath.
“Grief does not require you to be strong — only willing.”
Mary teaches us something freeing here: Continuing forward does not mean you feel brave.
It means you choose to keep breathing even when you’re unsure what comes next.
When Obedience Isn’t About Certainty
Mary did not walk to Bethlehem with confidence about the future.
She walked with surrender.
Her posture was not:
I know where this leads.
It was:
God, I don’t see where this road goes — but I will walk with You anyway.
Grief invites you into the same posture.
Not fearless faith.
Not forced optimism.
Not the pressure to be okay.
But a living faith — the daily willingness to remain present even when the answers aren’t clear.
Obedience does not mean understanding the road.
It means trusting the One who walks beside you on it.
When Faith Doesn’t Remove the Ache
Advent through Mary’s eyes reminds us:
You don’t need to understand the journey to remain faithful on it.
Faith does not erase grief.
It simply holds your hand while you walk through it.
Courage doesn’t always roar.
Sometimes courage is just standing up and taking the next step —
even without certainty…
even without clarity…
even without a map.
And God sees every step you take.
🎧 Listen to the Full Episode
In Episode 3 of the Advent series, #238 God, I Don’t Know How to Keep Going: Finding Courage to Take the Next Step
we open Mary’s journey to Bethlehem and reflect on what it means to keep walking forward when grief has scrambled the roadmap of your life.
This episode gently speaks to the heart that feels tired of being brave — offering both companionship and encouragement for the road you’re walking now.
🎧 Listen on your favorite podcast platform or on my YouTube channel.
Next Steps / Mentoring Invitation
If your heart feels overwhelmed or you’re unsure how to navigate this season of grief, I would be honored to walk with you in a 1:1 Grief Mentor Session — a time of intentional listening, spiritual discernment, and compassionate mentorship to help you understand your grief and take steady steps forward.
In each session, I listen carefully to your story and offer personalized guidance, along with simple printables and visual tools designed to meet you right where you are.
Grief was never meant to be walked in isolation.
You deserve care for your heart as you keep walking this sacred road.
👉 Book your session here
💛 Join the Waitlist for The Grief Roadmap
If your heart is whispering that you need community, you’re not alone.
The next round of The Grief Roadmap opens after the first of the year, and the waitlist is now open for both new and returning moms.
When you join, you’ll be the first to know when enrollment begins—and you’ll receive early-access bonuses before the doors open.
👉 Join the waitlist here
You don’t have to face the next season alone. God is already walking with you, and I’d be honored to walk beside you too.
With care and prayer,
Teresa Davis
The Grief Mentor
