This is going to be one of those articles that people close to me are going to read and be like “OK but she needs to apply that to her life.” Trust me I know. It’s on my mind daily. Waiting sucks. I feel like college age people especially are stuck in this time of waiting or at least we think we are. We have this mindset that we are waiting to start our lives. We are waiting to get married, start a job, pick a place to settle down or a place to travel to, have money, have more time, etc. It’s never ending, but I think we need to stop pinning where we are at as this hopeless season of waiting. Don’t get me wrong. We are for sure in this awkward in-between stage of our lives. We have a lot to look forward to and a lot to work for in our future lives. I’m sure some of our best memories are yet to come. However, we are in the places we are at in our lives for a reason. We are going to look back on these days and miss them incredibly and laugh at the memories.
Don’t get caught up in all the what-ifs and feeling the need to plan out every detail of your life because chances are it won’t end the way you have it planned. From what I’ve learned recently is that it’s probably better than one you have in your mind. It’s hard because for me because I’m always ready to focus on the next thing and the next adventure. Honestly, if it was up to my inner inpatient self I’d drop everything and go travel the world because it’s incredibly hard for me to be in the same place for 4 years studying the same thing. But I look back at the past 3 years and it’s crazy to see what God has put in my life that I would have NEVER expected.
I’ve been to Peru, the Dominican Republic, the Philippines, I became a Young Life leader, I made friends I never would have expected, I’ve learned from big mistakes I’ve made, and I’ve learned a ton about myself. Here I am living in Columbus with one of my best friends working at a restaurant in downtown Columbus that I had never heard of before. This was not what I expected to do last summer at all, and sometimes I get frustrated because this isn’t my ideal life. The majority of my friends are miles away, so that means lots of gas money and my work schedule is limiting and untiring… yes, this is just a season of life, however, it’s a season to learn and prepare and take advantage of. It’s a season that I’m never going to get back again and I’m going to look back at.
Yes, it’s a season of waiting, but it’s a time to be looking for opportunities and having an attitude of believing that you are where you are at this specific time for a purpose. It’s not a mistake or just a time to be looking ahead. Live in the now and love it, and you’ll be surprised at what comes your way in those times you consider just a bridge to get you to the next point in life.
