For the Senior Who is Scared of What Comes Next
I don’t know about you, but when the first day of my senior year of college hit, I freaked. Even though the “real world” was still nine months away, I was suddenly terrified of what comes next.
So many questions flooded my mind.
What should I do? What do I want to do? (I don’t even know the answer to that!) Where should I go? What if I can’t get a good job? What if I’m not happy with my job? What if I don’t want to settle down yet? What if I should go backpack around a foreign country? What if I can’t find a job where I want to be? Should I go to grad school or should I get a job? Which grad schools should I apply to? What if I don’t get in?
Not to mention, there are a lot of scary things people say about the adult world that started swimming around in my head.
“I’m stuck in this boring desk job.”
“I’ve got this mortgage I have to pay off.”
“Marriage is so hard.”
“Kids are so hard.”
Geez, well if marriage is hard and kids are hard and jobs are hard, what is there even to look forward to? Maybe I should add another major and stay in college for as long as possible. A little procrastination of my future, if you will.
All of a sudden, the rest of my life was looming ahead of me. I felt like it was all on my shoulders to figure it out—and figure it out right now.
But, in this season of uncertainty, of waiting, of not knowing what comes next, of being on the brink of a new beginning, I have slowly learned an invaluable truth.
You can have happiness and purpose wherever you go.
It sounds simple, but let me explain.
I found that I was staking my future happiness and purpose on the “right” job or the “right” location and truly believing that if I didn’t get that, I wouldn’t be happy. I was scared of missing out on God’s “calling” for my life and not being where I needed to be.
There are several things wrong with this. First of all, and this is a truth I learned from a Daily Grace’s podcast entitled “A Woman’s Highest Calling,” my highest calling is not a specific job or a specific ministry or motherhood or a specific location. If we believe that one of these things is our highest calling, then when we are prevented from achieving that thing for one reason or another, we feel pointless and like we have failed God. This is simply not what the Bible teaches. The Bible teaches that our highest calling, our purpose, is to glorify God in whatever we do and wherever we go. Whatever and wherever. You can’t miss out on that.
Additionally, happiness is a gift from God. It’s not something we earn through achievement. It’s easy to think “Oh, once I get this or do that, then I will be happy and satisfied.” No, contentment and peace are a gift given to us by God, not a result of our works. And oftentimes, we find enjoyment in the little things. Our church is doing an Ecclesiastes study and the book over and over repeats things like Ecclesiastes 8:15: “So I commend the enjoyment of life, because there is nothing better for people under the sun than to eat and drink and be glad. Then joy will accompany them in their toil all the days of the life God has given them under the sun,” It also says that the best man can do while on earth is simply fear God and keep his commandments. Sounds simple enough. Our pastor pointed out that the little things, such as enjoying the warm sun on a brisk fall day or pouring a steaming cup of coffee on a cold morning, can bring so much joy.
As I was sitting on my porch later that week watching the sun set behind the yellowing leaves, I thought “I find so much joy in doing this, and I can have this anywhere.”
You can have a hot cup of coffee anywhere. You can enjoy God’s beautiful creation anywhere. You can enjoy the comfort of friendship anywhere while doing anything. And of course, God will be with you anywhere and in everything. This calms my frantic heart and allows me to rest in knowing that wherever I end up, I can have joy and purpose.
Sincerely, Hannah
Photography: Hannah B.