When people say, "Time flies," they aren't joking. It still feels like I have just started high school, without a care in the world. There was no reason to even think about life-altering decisions yet. Just going to school, playing sports, and having sleepovers on the weekends that consist of eating brownie mix and watching chick flicks with my best friends. The biggest decision I had to make at that point in my life was which t-shirt I was going to wear to school the next day. Nothing too serious, right? So when does all of that change? Why is it that all of a sudden, these decisions seem to hit you like a ton of bricks? Out of nowhere. One day, you're sitting in Algebra II goofing off with your buddies, then next thing you know, you're a month away from graduating college. Then what?
The future… That's a scary concept, right?
"What college do you want to go to?"
"What career path do you want to take?"
"Where do you want to live one day?"
"Are you dating anyone yet?"
"How much longer until you graduate?"
We've all been asked these questions. From relatives, from friends, from our parents' friends... You name it. If you are like me, you've used the response, "Ya know, I'm not really sure at this point," way too many times. People want answers, but don't we want answers too?
I know I do.
But how do we find the answers to these questions, confident that we have made the right decisions?
In Psalm 46, Jesus said, "Be still and know that I am God." In the midst of this crazy, hectic life, we have to be still. If we don't take a step back from the busyness of life and be still, we won't be able to clearly hear the Lord speak to us. In turn, we won't know His will and we won't be able to make those difficult decisions about the future. Even then, we may not know every single detail of His plan. And that's okay. I am the type of person who has to have a plan for everything. "Going with the flow" is not easy for me. It's uncomfortable. But not knowing is okay sometimes. When we may not know what's next, we have to trust that He is working for our good (Romans 8:28). It's not always going to be easy, and we will get anxious along the way, but He is faithful and we can trust him with every single detail of our lives.
Over the last four years, I have held Philippians 1:6 very very close to my heart. So much encouragement comes from this verse: "being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Jesus Christ." This verse has gotten me through some of the most difficult times in my life. It is such a sweet reminder that He isn't finished yet. Even though you may not have all the answers or know what comes next, the Lord is right there with you every step of the way. He will never leave you or forsake you.
So, what's next? Even though you may have no idea where life will take you in the coming months, and anxious isn't even the word to begin to describe how you're feeling, you can have assurance that you are in good hands. 1 Peter 5:7 says, "Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you." Easier said than done though, right? It's hard to trust God when you can't see His plan. But His plan is the most perfect plan. Jeremiah 29:11 says it best, "...plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." So even though we may not know where we will be in the next six weeks, six months, or six years, we do know that there is a God who loves us, and is fighting for us. He has a plan for our lives that is far greater than anything we could come up with on our own, and because of that, we don't have to be anxious about the future.
