Life Changes
“So what’s next?!?”
That’s the question everyone keeps asking me since I graduated college about a month ago.
I respond with a confident smile and a conviction that makes me sound like I got it all figured out.
“I’m moving back home and will finally be able to pursue my dream of playing professional tennis! I’m excited to go for it and see what happens!”
My plans put a smile on most people’s faces because they sound so daunting and ambitious. Plus, everyone loves the girl who’s chasing after her dream.
But the truth is, I don’t have it figured out. Not at all.
I love tennis and am thrilled I have the opportunity to pursue my longtime dream. With that being said, the uncertainty of professional tennis both exhilarates and scares me at the same time. I’m a woman who craves stability and routine, but I can’t plan everything this time. I have no clue how my pro career will pan out or how long it’ll last.
I can’t predict the future, and I don’t know how this dream of mine fits into God’s plan for me. However, I’ve realized this is where God has me now, so I don’t need to know everything. In fact, I think that’s the point. For all of us!
We all deal with uncertainty to some degree. We all get anxious and scared of the unknown at times. Yet no matter where we are in life, the Lord is constant in reminding us of one thing: His plan is perfect. We just need to trust Him.
Why Trust?
Don’t you ever wish God would just give us clear instructions on what His plan for us is? I know I do.
However, I’ve realized if He revealed His plan for each of us, then we wouldn’t have to trust Him and we wouldn’t need to rely on Him. Trust and hope in Christ are an essential part of our faith because without them, why should we believe anything? What’s the purpose of hoping for something if we don’t trust that God will follow through with His promises?
That’s why I think God leads us through moments in our lives that deepen our trust in Him. Often these are moments of confusion, uncertainty or sadness. If we respond to these times in the correct manner, they will actually help us become holier and happier.
Trust is the key to everything! Yet how do we practically learn to place our trust in God when the world wants us to plan every moment of our lives right now?
Momma Mary shows us…
Rolling Like Mary
Mary became the Mother of God when she was just a teenager. When the angel Gabriel appeared to her one day to deliver the news that she was expecting Jesus, she simply replied, “Behold I am the handmaid of the Lord, let it be done unto me according to Thy Word.”
And then the angel left her.
…………..
WHAT?!?! Can you just wrap your mind around that for a second?!?!
In the span of probably ten minutes, Mary’s life dramatically changed in a HUGE way. Yet she simply responded by saying yes and being obedient to the Lord’s will. She trusted that everything was going to be okay. She knew His plan was perfect.
Mary didn’t expect to be the mother of God. She didn’t know the angel was going to appear to her that day, but she just rolled with it. She had to carry Christ in her womb for nine months, not fully understanding what the Lord had planned for her or her child. Yet she remained patient. She trusted. She believed.
In fact, Mary believed, even when believing didn’t make any rational sense whatsoever. How could she possibly be pregnant when she was a virgin? And how in the world was she going to bring the Son of God into the world?
As Mary’s cousin Elizabeth said at the Visitation:
“Blessed is she who believed that what was spoken to her by the Lord would be fulfilled (Luke 1: 45).”
I’m sure Mary had a million questions in her head she wanted answers to, but she didn’t get impatient and question the Lord’s will for her. Rather, she had faith and believed God’s plan for her was better than anything she could ever fathom. She simply obeyed the Lord when He directed her.
And he asks the same of us.
Embracing Your Life Season
Whatever your season in life, the Lord is calling you to embrace it and own it! Just roll with it! Just as Mary trusted the Lord had her best interests at heart, we must do the same.
Life’s not always going to be easy, but God is always with us, waiting to comfort us through it all. We shouldn’t be afraid because He’s got me, and He’s got you.
Those times we start feeling anxious, scared and worried are those times when we take our eyes off Christ and stop trusting His plan for a moment.
Those are the times when we start looking around at everyone else and feel like we are losing in the “race of life.” Those are the times when we must draw closer to Christ in prayer. As we turn to Christ in those moments we feel overwhelmed or anxious, He will comfort us and remind us that all is well.
We are His and that’s all that matters. We don’t have to worry because just like He took care of His Momma when she didn’t know her future, he’s going to take care of me and you. We are where we are right now on purpose. So live in the present and give the future to Jesus. He will guide you.
And whatever God throws your way, just roll with it because He’s doing incredible things! 🙂
From the depths of my soul,
Josie
P.S. For a great video about embracing your life season and transitions in life, watch this video from Father Mike Schmitz 🙂
