Let me tell you about a little thing called "purpose."

I mean I'll tell you about it, though I'm not the most qualified person to talk on this subject considering I'm a confused 19-year-old college student. Regardless, bear with me and you might find some truth in here.

So lately, I've been smacked in the face with the reality that I have no idea what to do with my life. And what I'm sort of interested in at the moment, feels almost pointless and purposeless in the grand scheme of life, like I wouldn't help humanity in any way.

FRUSTRATING, AM I RIGHT, PEOPLE?

I feel there's so much pressure to have your life figured out really soon. But take heart, because after listening to the wise words of my dad, I was comforted and moved to have peace of mind in this time of confusion.

I was having brunch with my parents, and we were having those hard "college talks" about grades and what I want to major in and my life's purpose and practically trying to solve life's enigma. I was getting frustrated and somewhat emotional. *Ew.* And then my dad turned to me and asked, "Do you pray a lot?" Right then I knew my ears should be tuned in because my dad very seldom talks about deep, gushy stuff like this.

He told me about his time in college and how he switched colleges because he was so lost and confused about what he wanted to do and wasn't happy with where he was at. He graduated with a degree in physical education but still felt almost purposeless. He taught for a few years in Texas, took a year off, moved to Colorado with his brother and tried to find purpose.

Here's where the cool part happens. He said he started praying the prayer, "Lord, show me your way; give me a purpose." He prayed this a lot and he remembers one night specifically when he was praying this prayer a little extra because he just didn't know what to do with his life. Then, the next day he got his teaching license in the mail.

At this point, I started crying because 1) my dad never shares stuff like this so it was cool to see him open up and 2) God did a cool, cool thing by showing him what He wanted for my dad.

So my dad moved back home to Minnesota and started teaching and eventually ended up in Wisconsin. Although he was pumped about having the "thumbs up" from God about his career path, he didn't really feel fired up about what he was doing until years later when he was married to my mom. I forget what exact moment he said made him realize he had a purpose as a gym teacher, but there was a moment and he started feeling like he had purpose in life. He no longer felt like just "the gym teacher" but now he was "the gym teacher!" He felt like this is what he was meant to do in life and this is what God wants for him.

What comforted me was that my dad didn't really feel like he found his purpose in life until he was in his thirties. And that he went to three different colleges and didn't really have a definite idea of what he wanted to do until after he was out of college. And it didn't really matter what exactly he was doing that made him find purpose, but his state of mind. For the most part, he was always a teacher and coach, but it took some time for him to get comfortable and confident in what he was doing to find purpose in teaching.

Things to take away: you don't have to have everything figured out at the age of six, don't feel like you have to even have everything figured out by the end of your four years of college or even after that! It's important to listen to God and lean on Him for support, try not to be frustrated with His timing even though it can be stress-inducing, and whatever you end up doing and whatever career you end up choosing, know that you are loved and wanted for a purpose. It may be hard to comprehend what exactly "purpose" is and all that it encompasses at this point in your life, but it will make sense in time. So take heart in the confusion now, because better and clearer times are ahead. It may be tomorrow or twenty years from now. So for right now, bask in the glory of confusion!