Active in the Unknown

Transitions are uncomfortable. Some days, it’s hard for me to wrap my mind around the fact that it has already been five months since I graduated college. The past few months for me have consisted of a series of job interviews, a change in financial responsibilities, and an extreme shift in day-to-day structure. Instead of balancing school, work, and several church responsibilities like I have the past four years of my life, I am now working part-time with no homework (Hallelujah!), no school, and fewer church responsibilities. I am constantly reminded by people I respect that I should embrace and enjoy this time, but in reality, this new lifestyle really caught me off guard and hasn’t been easy.

While I really enjoy having free time, I was surprised to discover how quickly loneliness and a lack of fulfillment started to weigh on me. As time swiftly passed by and I hadn’t moved in the direction I hoped I would after graduation, doubt and frustration started to take hold on me. From my perspective, I was doing all the right things and following God’s will for my life. I expected God to start answering my prayers and get my future rolling!

In frustration and perhaps even a little boredom, I started to memorize scripture in hopes that it might reveal something new to me in this challenging phase of life. After spending some time memorizing and reciting James 4, I was quickly awakened to some issues I had in my life.  The passage talks about desires, not getting what you want, and what God’s nature is in light of all our requests to Him. Through this passage, I learned (and am continuing to learn) that God answers our prayers and fulfills us when we choose to align our will directly with His. For me, this was a bit of a wake-up call to the fact that all my perfect plans for post-graduation life may not have been exactly what God had planned for me.

Beyond aligning my will to God’s will, I also feel that He has called me to refrain from passivity in the wake of the unknown. By this, I mean that God doesn’t want me to sit around idly simply because I don’t always know what direction He is going to guide me. Rather, I should be actively seeking His direction, and should be taking steps even when I don’t know the final destination.

As I am learning, this transitional phase of life very well may be a pivotal phase for me. While I await some answers and direction, I am grateful for the little bits of my story God has revealed and the small steps He has challenged me to take during this time.

If you are in a lonely, transitional, or unfulfilling time in life, I challenge you to refrain from passivity. While you may not know what is coming next or why you are placed where you are right now, I encourage you to seek God and allow Him to direct you. Sometimes, we can stifle our own ability to thrive when we refuse to veer from our own plan. In light of this, let us be willing, open, patient, and trusting in the Lord to direct us exactly where we need to be at exactly the right time.

Until next time,

Tamara

Unswerving Hope

Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. Hebrews 10:23

While in Haiti, I had a conversation with a friend who has truly come against all odds to reach his goals. I stood there listening, dumbfounded, as he explained his life story to me. While I certainly enjoy a good testimony that starts with humble beginnings and ends in “happily ever after,” his story struck me as something much more authentic. There wasn’t an obvious solution to every problem he faced, and no single person swooped in to save the day. There was hard work involved. There was necessary planning and taking action. Most notably, there was an underlying hope.

One of the biggest obstacles in my friend’s life was finding the means to go to college. He simply did not have adequate funds to go. Beyond that, there were cultural and environmental barriers that would reduce the feasibility of a college education. Frankly, from a rational standpoint it was not possible. If you were to talk with my friend, however, you probably wouldn’t see it that way. He explained to me how on the first day of school, he didn’t even know how he was going to be able to pay for books or daily necessities. Nonetheless, he knew God called him to be there and that He would provide. Long story short, in his search for work, my friend came in contact with the exact people he needed. The people he met not only met financial needs, but supported him spiritually and emotionally. By having faith in God and working diligently to achieve the goals set before him, my friend has been able to attend college.

God’s faithfulness in my friend’s life is directly paralleled in his work as a gardener. As he works in a country that has faced many natural disasters, he has encountered several situations that have wiped out his livelihood. In spite of the hurricanes, earthquakes, and other unpredictable obstacles that have destroyed life, he has not stopped planting, re-building, and working to revive the garden. With my own eyes, I can say that I have literally seen his hard labor bear fruit. Remaining hopeful and diligent to the work set before him, God has provided life and restoration.

God is good and He provides! My friend’s story doesn’t end there in a “happily ever after,” though. He still has to face the challenges of finding a career in a place that has limited opportunity. When I asked him how he felt about the prospects of his future after graduating college, he looked at me in the eye and said, “When you work hard and follow God’s will for your life, He will take care of you.” These words were very meaningful to me and will be something I remember.

In Hebrews 10:23, we are charged to “hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful.” I am thankful to have a friend that has spoken this truth into my life. As I am in a stage of life that comes with a lot of unanswered questions and waiting, I am encouraged to remain hopeful in Christ. I am challenged to diligently seek God’s will for my life, as I know that He keeps His promises to those who faithfully follow Him. 

Until next time,

Tamara

Embracing the Uncomfortable

When I was a kid, I had many grandiose plans for my future. I had all kinds of ideas about what early adulthood would entail, and I was certain that everything would just sort of fall into place. While it may have been a bit naïve to think this way, I grew up watching so many people around me whisk through life with what seemed to be such ease and grace. They knew what they wanted out of life, they chased their dreams, and often times it seemed like everything just worked out.

As I am sitting here now, less than three months away from graduating college, I can’t help but laugh at my youthful perspective. While I absolutely support pursuing dreams and believe that hard work pays off, I have learned that there are other factors involved in shaping one’s future. Life isn’t quite as simple as a checklist of acquiring skills, dreams, and accolades. Rather, there is a significant amount of personal growth that has to take place to get to these points. Furthermore, there may be detours along the way that postpone reaching these goals. And, perhaps the most difficult to come to terms with, is that personal dreams may not always align with God’s perfect plan.

If someone was to ask me in my childhood where I thought I would be in life in my early twenties, I’m positive I would not have answered anything along the lines of where I actually am today. While I have had to grow and learn some things the hard way, have faced obstacles to attaining goals, and have even been completely re-routed to a different path than I had planned, I can honestly say, I wouldn’t have it any other way. My five-year-old self would have told you I couldn’t wait to grow up and chase my dreams. As I have grown older, however, I have realized that perhaps my dreams were not the dreams I should have be chasing.

 In Romans 8:28, Paul states, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.”

This verse is so reassuring to me. As it clearly depicts, I am a child of God created with a purpose in mind. Beyond that, as a follower of Him, God is working for my good. So while I might have many great dreams that could blossom into something tangible and remarkable, how much better would it be if I sought to attain the goals and purpose that God set out for my life before I even came into existence? How much better could I be if I embraced the things God has challenged me to pursue?

As I am entering a transitional phase of life and certainly still possess many dreams and goals, I am not suggesting the best idea is to throw these hopes out the window. Rather, I am choosing today to yield my dreams to God. I am choosing to place His will above my own, as His ways are perfect and better than mine. I am choosing to embrace any challenges or uncomfortable things that come about because I know that God is working for my good.

If you are feeling uncertain, disappointed, or even cynical towards your future, I challenge you to adopt a new mindset. Don’t give up on your dreams. Instead, give them to God. Ask God if your dreams are something that He has planned for you. Embrace moments of growth and correction. If your dreams turn out to be something that God does not have planned for your life, be willing to aspire to His greater call. Whether you feel like it right now or not, God has created you with a purpose. Beyond that, there is nothing He desires more than for you to seek His will.

Until next time,

Tamara