It’s cliché I know, we have all heard that life is all about taking one step forward and two steps back; and in essence the statement is generally found to be true in most people’s lives. I myself find myself repeating versions of this in my head as if it’s a justification or a realization of what it means to be human, what it means to live a life led by God. “An arrow can only be shot by being pulling it backwards, so when life is dragging you back with difficulties, it means that it is going to launch you into something great.” It sounds good right? I mean if we believe this then we believe that there is an overarching plan for our lives, one we don’t absolutely have control over but rather one that God has planned for us.
As millennials we were taught to plan, to make plans and to pursue them avidly, plan our futures be it careers, families, goals, businesses, or dreams. This wasn’t just instilled in us but growing up, at least where I’m from, it’s DRILLED into us, where did we think we were going in life without a plan? So as hopeful adolescents we do just that, we plan, we map out our dream colleges that will lead us to our dream majors and perfect careers. From there we plan our future weddings and the families that will spawn from those perfect relationships with Mr. or Mrs. Right, when in all actuality we are unaware that someone larger than us has a plan all his own and that our plans will have to change in order to find out what our true paths are.
I can honestly say that as a Junior or Senior in high school if you would have asked me where I was going to be by the time I was 27, working in a law firm and living 8+ hours from home, engaged and renting a town home probably wouldn’t have been what I would’ve told you. The actions and decisions that led me to where I am today aren’t particularly special in any way, I’m not trying to spout off something profound here about coming to a ‘fork in the road’ and ‘seeing the light’ that ‘showed me the way’. In a way I am no more well-directed than I was as the idealistic high school student I was 10 years ago, but in other ways I am so much more perfectly in tune with where I am and what it means to be where I am.
In the Christian faith we are consistently talked to about the importance of knowing what “season” in life we are in. Is it a season of growth, a season of reaping, a season of harvest perhaps? There is definitely some truth to that, knowing what season you are in is crucial to knowing how to intake and understand the things happening in your life. I am most definitely in a season of growth, and it’s not been an easy one (not that growth has ever been considered something easy or painless, I offer up the well accepted idea of “growing pains” as an example) but I digress it has been one of the most important times in my life to date. In the last year and a half I have met the man of my dreams, neither of us is perfect but it works wonderfully for us, we complement one another, challenge one another, and support one another regardless of what life throws at us; I have lost the man who was essentially like my second father suddenly and unexpectedly; soon after I lost my service animal who had served as my whole world in some of the years prior; I failed at my first attempt to finish my masters degree; I found work in an unexpected place because of a need for good health insurance; found more medical issues that seemingly have no explicable cause; watched my baby sister graduate from college and find the first step to her dream career; was in a major car accident at a time that is far less than convenient; lost another major male family member; and have struggled to find what it is that I was put on this Earth to do.
Now, by no means do I think that my past year and a half is unique to me alone, nor do I believe that it is a reason to feel like a victim, like the world or God is picking on me. In fact it’s reason to believe exactly the opposite. God is not picking on me, but rather he is honing me and leading me to where he knows I am meant to serve. With each door that closes, and believe me some days it can feel like every door I even think about touching manages to have a brick wall behind it, is leading me one step closer to the woman I was meant to become. At the church I have found a home in, there was a women’s conference this weekend, the theme was “She Rises” and this phrase, while I wasn’t able to attend this conference due to life’s crazy twists and turns, still resonates with me heavily. She Rises. It’s simple, its vague enough to fit almost any set of circumstances, it serves as a reminder to rise above and also as inspiration to continue pursuing growth and development.
She rises, what does that have to do with anything else I’ve been ranting on about? It’s a reminder that even though you may find yourself feeling lost, alone, confused, broken, defeated, or any other overwhelming feeling of challenged or punished. Remember to rise. Find something else to identify with other than victim. Rise. Don’t let the adversary win, regardless of the situation be it a literal adversary or a spiritual or metaphorical one. Rise. Learn something new from that door closing, better yourself, expand your resources and skills, simplify your life and focus on what really matters. Rise. Take on whatever life or God is handing you and make it work for you not against you. There is always pain in growth, we all know that, but without growth we would perpetually be in the same place, we would never know love, family, friendships, achievements, or peace. We would never know how to leave home and spread our wings and become our own individuals, form our own passions, thoughts or ideas. Pain and discomfort let you know that you are growing, it is up to you to make sure that that pain and comfort is causing growth and not regression. Don’t let fear or discomfort keep you from achieving, keep you from growing, or keep you from loving. In one of my favorite bible verses, one I would call one of my life verses, we are reminded that pain is never caused for no reason.
So what does all of this ideological ranting boil down to? No matter what season you are in my fellow millennials, or anyone for that matter, don’t let these set backs in life have detrimental impacts on your life. I heard once recently from a youth pastor “IF you have time to text about it you have time to pray about it”, and this statement is truer than any of us want to admit to. When life pulls us backwards, when God but your arrow in his bow and pulls you in a direction you didn’t expect, don’t pout and text it, talk to one another of course, open and honest relationships define what it is to be human, but don’t lose sight of the fact that our most important relationship is the one we have with Christ. The pain and discomfort and confusion He is causing in your life right now are leading you to where you are meant to be.
As this is my inaugural blog post I thank you for taking the time to read my musings, I hope that you got something out of them and that you will continue to read my posts.
Remember life is all about Faith, Courage, and Potential, never lose sight of yours, and as a good friend of mine would say… Go forth and LOVE!!!
Faith, Courage, & Potential 