Mar 18, 2016
by Elianna Chroniger
Alfred Station SDB Church
Alfred Station, NY
Everyone always told me that time goes by faster as you “grow up.” I’m just now starting to believe it. It seems like just yesterday I was stepping foot into my first day of high school, my nephews and nieces were babies, and I had AGES to think about what I was going to do with my life. I don’t have ages to plan my future anymore. In fact, my future is slapping me in the face right now. My first year of college is almost over, and yes, it was amazing. I have wonderful roommates, challenging classes, great professors, and a beautiful campus on which to learn. That’s all well and good until I start to think about the fact that I have about four to five more years before I’m going to start my life in “the real world.”
Those are some not-so-nice words in my dorm room. Leslie, Ali, and I try to avoid thinking about our future because we don’t know what’s in store. We know that we plan to live together for at least three more years. We have a dangerous list of things we plan to do once sports seasons are over. We plan when we will have roommate dinners. We plan every detail of our days, but the idea of living in “the real world” is not one we embrace.
Now, of course, our plans don’t always go as we hope they will. As I’m sure you’ve all heard, “the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.” I would like to add a little bit to that saying though. I think it should read: “the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry, but the ones rooted in faith aren’t a far cry.” Cheesy, I know, but stick with me. Think about it — have you ever made a God-led plan? If you said yes, then you already get it. A plan made through God can’t be messed up. If you said no, then think about it this way — have you made plans that didn’t work out the way you wanted but worked out even better? That’s God’s way of saying “Your plan is close, but try this.”
A God-led plan is the best plan. He can guide your paths much better than you can guide your own. Listen to His call and I’m sure you’ll figure out a plan that suits you just fine. As you embark on scary choices, like my roommates and I try to figure out what we should do with our lives, I ask that we all seek God so that we might know what it is He wants for us.
Think on these verses:
Jeremiah 29:11 (NASB):
“For I know the plans that I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.”
Romans 8:28 (NASB):
And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.