What’s next?
It’s a question that has popped up in my head throughout life. I’ve created somewhat organized boxes in my mind– giving me a pseudo feeling of being “put together” and prepared for the future. If I know exactly what I want, set goals, and work my butt off to achieve them, I’ll never have to guess what the future holds, right?
That used to be my mentality. Before. Before God threw in the curve ball I didn’t see coming and I ended up somewhere totally unexpected. Before all plans were thrown out the window.
I have since stopped trying to plan every step in my future. It hit me: I can’t. I don’t have control. Someone greater does.
Grace received through prayer allowed me to be okay with that lack of control. In fact, it made me prefer my helplessness because I was free to do whatever God wanted, whenever He wanted. Yet even after I gave up my plans for God’s plans, even after I settled into life where He called me, the age-old question plagued my mind: So what now? What’s next? Where do I go from here?
Maybe I’m a product of the “millennial condition.” As a mobile generation, we love to experience it all, commit to nothing, and constantly look for the “next thing.” We don’t put down roots and settle like our parents did at our age. Instead, we change jobs every few years, move across the country because we want a “change,” or randomly buy those cheap flights to Barcelona because why not? (*As I write this, I am currently counting down the days for my Spain trip with a friend. Ironic? I think not.)
But lately I’ve been reflecting on the idea of stability and the “What’s next?” mentality. While nothing is inherently wrong with being a dreamer and planning the next steps in our lives, sometimes this way of thinking causes us to miss out on the grace of the present moment. We always want something bigger and better, but what if that something better is accepting the graces of today– the simplicity of our ordinary lives– and offering them back to God?
What if better is not in asking ourselves, “What’s next?’ but “What’s NOW?”
THE FOMO IS REAL
While chaperoning a Catholic youth conference a few months ago, the priest gave a homily about Adam and Eve. He made the point that when Eve sinned in the Garden and took the apple from the devil, she did so out of FOMO (fear of missing out). She feared that if she didn’t eat the apple, she would miss out on all the “promises” of the devil. She didn’t trust God had already given her exactly what she needed in the moment–she thought she needed and wanted more. But after she took the apple and ate, she realized how wrong she was and how much better things were before.
Oh, how this convicted me!
How often am I Eve, wanting what I don’t have? How often do I look at others’ lives, wishing I had what they do or wishing to be in a different state in life?
DON’T FEAR COMMITMENT TO THE PRESENT
The temptation to give into FOMO is real, especially for us millennials. We don’t want to commit to plans—whether it’s weekend plans, relationships, or even a permanent living location—because we wonder if something better will come along. We don’t dig roots and build community right where we are because we don’t want to lock ourselves down and give up the freedom of spontaneity that comes with lack of commitment.
But what’s wrong with commitment? What’s wrong with digging roots and settling into plans—for the weekend, for next month, or for life?
Commitment allows us to invest in where we are NOW, rather than constantly think, “What’s next?” Some might accuse people with this mindset of complacency, remaining stagnant, or not growing. We call our lack of commitment and investment having a “growth mindset.” But how are we growing if we never invest in a period of growth? How can we truly learn from each season in life and move forward confidently if we don’t fully invest in the present moment?
THE “TEMPORARY” SPOT
Now many of us may be in what we call “the temporary spot.” You know… the “It’s good for now, but not forever” feeling. But isn’t that every aspect in life? Every stage in our life is temporary, fleeting. To use this as an excuse for not investing in the present moment is to rob ourselves of the graces God wants to give us right now.
Friends, not everything in my life is perfect or ideal. There are many things I want and many I wish were better. The apple the devil dangles in front of me in my garden is “the future.” He knows it doesn’t belong to me, but I want it now. The daily temptation of giving into FOMO—fear of missing out on all the things I want, but don’t have—is real. But I know, without a doubt, that I am right where I’m supposed to be. I must remain steadfast and firm in the gift God has given me today: the present.
As we strive to commit and fully invest wherever God has us in the present moment, let us remember the words of St. Faustina:
“The past does not belong to me; the future is not mine; with all my soul I try to make use of the present moment.”
Commit friends—to today. Don’t worry about tomorrow. Invest in the present and it will be incredible to see where God leads us.
From the depths of my soul,
