Give it to Me NOW

Lately, I’ve felt this great feeling of impatience and dissatisfaction for my current phase in life. My mind has been preoccupied on my post-graduation career plans, my plans with my boyfriend in the future, and just stuff in the future.

I’ve been having a hard time being joyful in the present moment because I’m ready for the next stage. But I’m not there yet.

I want what I want, now. But that’s not how life or God’s will works. He has me where I am right now, and I can’t make the future come any faster.

Maybe you can relate with what I’m going through. Don’t you ever just want something so badly that you wish you could fast-forward your life to that future point in time?

Well that’s where patience comes in. But the thing is, I stink at patience! So maybe we can work through this together…

Real Talk

Whenever I am feeling down or anxious or overwhelmed, I sit myself down and ask myself, “Why am I feeling like this?” I know my life is great and I shouldn’t be worried or ungrateful for what the Lord has given me now. But sometimes that’s just the way I feel.

In this situation, by being honest with myself, I found that it really boiled down to one thing: I hate uncertainty and I want to have control of my future. 

So what do I do? I plan. I do everything I possibly can to make sure things will go MY way. That way, I am in control and certain of what my future holds.

However, in reflecting on this, I realized that the reason I was so anxious about the future was because I can’t plan it! I have no freaking idea what my life is going to be like after graduation. And that scares the HECK out of me!!!

I crave stability. I want to feel safe and comfortable. But in order to find this stability, it requires me to do one thing: Trust. Life is uncertain, but God and His plan is stable.

If I’m too focused trying to plan my future that I can’t enjoy the present moment, it’s because I’m doubting God’s plan for my life. Once I realized this, in my head I could just hear God wanting to say to me:

“Don’t you trust me? My plan is perfect. Give the future to me, and be present. I will take care of the rest.”

This comforted my soul during a moment when I was struggling so much with impatience, dissatisfaction and anxiety about my future plans.

Even though I know that God is in control, that His plan is perfect, that doing His will will give me the greatest happiness in this life and the next, I still ignore his voice sometimes and try to do things my way.

But my feelings show me where my heart is. By recognizing when I’m feeling anxious, when I’m feeling dissatisfied or impatient, I am able to lay it down and give these feelings to the Lord. I know He doesn’t want me feeling this way, and so I choose not to.

Surrender & Be Present

So maybe you’re where I am. Maybe you’re not where you want to be in life right now, so you feel dissatisfied and impatient. That’s okay. But I encourage you to let those feelings go. If we want to truly enjoy this present moment and truly embrace who God wants us to be TODAY, we must surrender all to Him. Give Him all your thoughts, worries, concerns, hopes, dreams, ambitions. Give it all to Him.

While having an uncertain future may seem scary, the Lord will remind you that it’s not really scary at all. If we truly give our life to the Lord, do we think that He has something bad planned for us? Absolutely not!

His plan is perfect and is where we will be the happiest. It might be what we hope and dream for, or it might be something completely different that we never saw coming. But no matter what it is, it’s the surest way to true peace and joy on this earth and to an eternity in heaven. Find comfort knowing that.

So if you’re like me and like to plan everything, know what your future holds, and wish you had everything you want RIGHT NOW, take a deep breath.

Spend some quiet time with the Lord today. I like to journal (which realistically looks like me crying in my bed pouring my heart out with pen and paper :)), but find your own special way to speak with Jesus

Share your heart, your dreams, your desires, your struggles. Give it all to Him and lay it down.

Let Him comfort you.

Not worrying about the future will give you peace so you can truly LIVE in the present moment. See God working in your life. Don’t get caught up in things of the future. God’s got your back, so trust that.

And be present. There’s beautiful things happening.

From the depths of my soul to yours, 

Josie

P.S. If you’re struggling living in the present, watch this awesome video from Father Mike Schmitz. It helped me, so maybe it can help you!