Graduation's daunting shadow looming on our calendars: spring quarter is more than halfway over!

More often than not, this sentiment can spell fear for college students who are preparing to advance into the post-college (or at least post-undergrad) season of their lives. This transitional season comes with lots of confusion, questions, and worry as plans and opportunities for the future are weighed and considered.

Thankfully, even in seasons of life where everything seems to be changing, transitioning, or turned up on its head, we, as followers of Jesus, came remain confident that there is one constant in these stressful times: that Jesus is still our King, guiding and leading us to make good, confident life choices.

Jesus being our King is a phrase that can be thrown around a lot... but what does it even mean? And why would having a king be a good thing, doesn't a king just boss people around to get what they want?

It's important that we start on page one of the Bible, where God creates a beautiful, flourishing world and appoints these cool, kinda weird looking creatures called "humans" to be stewards of the Earth, to rule the world on God's behalf and cultivate all of Earth's potential...

But sadly, humans choose to try and rule not on God's behalf, but by their own definition of what they see as "good" and "bad." Thus, sin enters the world: humans drive away that unity between God and His creation.

What does this have to do with you deciding what job to take and how to spend your time once out of college? Well, if you claim to be a follower of Jesus, it has everything to do with it!

What this first story of the Bible tells us is that God's plan is to rescue and redeem our world. He wants to make all things right and new and to do this. He always chooses to work through His people: God's people are the primary way He brings healing and restoration back into His creation.

To further this journey (God guiding His people into being used for restoration), we know that God likes to have His people guided by a king. Originally, God chose one family out of all the nations to work and guide His plan, and He acted as their King over them, leading and working through them.

But, though we shouldn't be surprised, this family God chose decided that they wanted to be like all of the other nations, with their own king and agenda. They demanded they "'[wanted] a king to rule over [them]' — even though the LORD [their] God was [their] King" (1 Samuel 12:12, NIV).

The rest of what Christians call the Old Testament explores this plot point in the overarching "God's plan to redeem the world" story. The audience of the narrative is continually introduced to the human king after human king... and they all do terrible jobs! They lead the people of God astray, they give into sin and define good and evil for themselves.

Fortunately, God work in this story doesn't end there!

Our hope as Christians is that a Middle Eastern, dirty sandal wearin' Jewish rabbi named Jesus is that promised King that leads God's people in continuing God's plan to save and redeem this world. To guide us in how best to live lives that are truly good and fulfilling.

This is why we spend time in prayer, why we read the Bible and allow it to speak into the areas of our lives that need to change (or currently and hectically are changing).

Jesus is our King: His teachings and way of life (which is reflected in the entirety of the Bible) should be what we strive for. Having the consistency of the perfect King, whose goal is bringing healing and restoration to this world, is exactly what we need in times of change.

Whether we don't know where we will be working or living after college, what our friend groups will look like, or even what church community of Jesus followers we will be a part of, we can remain confident in knowing that Jesus, as our King, is always here through His Spirit to guide and lead us.