A while back, someone close to me told me to make sure that I wasn’t living up to my potential, but instead to my destiny.
It stopped me in my tracks. All the voices in my head and expectations of people around me suddenly came to a grinding halt. My focus shifted and I realized that other people don’t determine my steps; not even I do! God does. He has ultimate control over my path in life. That sounds so scary and yet, so comforting.
This has hit me especially hard this week as I’ve started college and my roommates and I have all had moments of doubt about our major, minor, or life decisions. It’s been extremely trying to fully put my life into God’s hands. But we need to remember:
He knows me more than I know myself.
He remembers more about my past than I do.
He hears my thoughts and prayers.
He knows what I am capable of through His power.
Most of all, He knows what the future holds.
There’s nothing that anyone could say or do that could ever release us from the grip that He has on our lives. Not our own sin, our past, others’ opinions, expectations, or our life choices.
I’ve been trying to pack so much into these next four years and plan out my life every step of the way. However, I need to step back, pray, and trust God’s plan. If it’s His will for me to graduate in four years, so be it. If it’s His will for me to double major, so be it. Even if it’s His will that I don’t finish college, so be it.
I guarantee you that Mary did not plan to have an immaculate conception as a teenager. Nor did Noah plan on building an ark. Nor did Abraham think he would have so many descendants.
Though they didn’t foresee those things happening and they faced a lot of trials in the process, God wrote these events into His will and so much joy came from these circumstances.
Our vision of our future is similar to a car’s at night. We can only see what’s lit up about 200 feet in front of us, no matter how fast or slow we go. Sometimes we can’t even see that far ahead! There’s no way for us to predict what’s coming, but we need to, “lean not on our own understanding.” (Proverbs 3:5) Beyond the headlights, there could be fields of fruits, flowers, and other amazing miracles. Just because those blessings are out of sight, doesn’t mean they don’t exist. It may not be what we expect to see, but it will be a blessing in some way.
My point in all of this is that we have no way of knowing God’s plan for our lives… And if we don’t even know our future, how much more can people around us know?
Don’t allow others’ predictions, opinions, or philosophies to affect the way that you passionately follow God’s will for your life.
“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!” Philippians 4:13
My whole life has been about music. Most people that know me associate my name with the word “music.” Which is awesome, but also limiting. As people ask me what my life plans are or what my major is, no one is even shocked in the slightest when I tell them it’s music. People were shocked, though, that I chose a small private Christian university instead of a major institution that is known for their music department. They don’t understand how I could possibly be happy at such a small school; and they definitely don’t take into account the other aspects of the school before they make their judgments. They aren’t the ones who spent years researching schools and programs. They definitely aren’t the ones who felt the specific calling from God to come to this school.
But it doesn’t matter what others think.
It matters what I think and what the Lord thinks.
As Christians, we don’t live for the world and we don’t live to appease the popular opinion. We live for Christ and, most importantly, we live because He died.
“Obviously, I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant.” Galatians 1:10
So let’s break it down:
Living up to our potential means living up to what is expected of you. I’m sure some people have heard, “Well you’re smart, so you should be a doctor or a lawyer, not a Kindergarten teacher.” Or, “You want to go to graduate school? Wow, that’s ambitious.” So instead of pursuing your calling, you pursue what seems logical and correct in our society’s eyes.
Living up to our destiny means we radically abandon the world’s expectations and limitations and we rest in the strength and will of God. It means that even though pursuing a music career or opening a non-profit organization or being a youth pastor is not a “safe” job that gives you a comfortable financial cushion, we fully trust that God will provide for us. Always follow God’s calling for your life. If that means being a teacher, be a teacher. If that means being a doctor, be a doctor. If that means being a scientist, be a scientist. Pray every day for the Lord to grant you wisdom and knowledge to understand His purpose and will for your life. No one can limit the power and plans of God just because something is not traditional or expected.
“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11
You will never outsmart God and He always knows what’s best for you. If He tells you to climb that mountain, you see the mountain, but He sees what’s on the other side. Anything that the world may throw your way is minuscule in comparison to the mighty hand of our Savior! God doesn’t call the equipped, he equips the called.
“Now may the God of peace– who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great Shepherd of the sheep, and ratified an eternal covenant with his blood– may he equip you with all you need for doing his will. May he produce in you, through the power of Jesus Christ, every good thing that is pleasing to him. All glory to him forever and ever! Amen.” Hebrews 13: 20-21
His Joy Awaits Me 