Your Future & God: A Lesson for College Juniors and Seniors
By guest contributor: Esther Elliott
The world throws curveballs at us. We are bombarded by questions about our futures.
Have you thought about college yet?”
“Have you found a job yet?
What do you want to do with your degree?”
Family members and friends harang us about finding jobs immediately after graduating. While some people are fortunate to have ended up working at organizations they’ve interned at, others are still searching. I remember as a senior being asked if I was looking for work.
It’s been a year since I graduated. I have a Bachelor of Arts in History. I’ve written a couple of articles for my campus newspaper and interned as a writer for university relations. I tried applying for jobs and didn’t have much luck and my mom ended up taking me to work with her to gain experience.
Our culture emphasizes work, wealth, productivity, and making a name for yourself. This isn’t an inherently bad thing. God created us for work and Christians should cherish it as a gift from God. (Genesis 2:15) It is only because of sin that work has become difficult. (Genesis 3:17-19)
Work also brings anxiety and stress. Deadlines need to be met, you need to be on time for work, you’re expected to work many hours, and make some money.
People often look for jobs that will make them the most money and will often not choose career paths that align with their interests. Or they are told it’s hard to get jobs in those areas.
Work has become an important part of our identities. We measure ourselves based on work-ethic and the amount of money we make.
Who is in Charge of the Future?
Oftentimes, we want to be in charge of our futures. We are taught that we need to have our lives figured out after college. Achievement-oriented people may find their worth in good grades or getting a promotion at work. Others may feel they aren’t good enough if they don’t meet the standards they want for a job or school or feel down because they got rejected from a job, school, or internship.
The Bible tells us what to do when we feel worried:
“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” - Matthew 6:3
“Do not be anxious about anything but in everything through prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.“ - Philippians 4:6
The Bible also tells us who is in charge of our futures:
“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.” - Psalm 32: 8
God is ultimately in charge of our futures, even when it doesn’t seem like it. He knows our thoughts and our desires. Instead of worrying, we should pray about our futures and ask God to guide us. We don’t need to figure things out on our own.
What Should We Do About Our Worries?
Give them over to God. He will show us where He wants us to be. We should just ask Him to guide us as we make life decisions.
Pray and meditate on God’s Word. This ties into the first one because prayer is talking with God. Reading His Word also helps keep your mind at rest and on God. Ultimately, whenever making a decision, we should consult God’s Word first, and also talk to a parent, friend, teacher or pastor about it.
Always remember that God knows best. Sometimes His plans don’t work out the way we envisioned but that doesn’t mean He’s forgotten us, it’s likely He has other plans.