As humans, we tend to not like the idea of not being in control. We don't like unexpected twists in the storyline, especially when something doesn't play out exactly the way we want. It is so easy for us to get caught up in what could have been, or how we wanted things to turn out. Why is it so hard to be content with where we are? Why is it so easy to focus on what we wish we had?
The past two years have been full of a lot of these crazy twists and unexpected changes. Starting college in the fall of 2019, I had a perfect image of how I thought things would go. I was ready to jump into this new chapter of my life. The trials that I had faced in high school were still fresh in my mind and I thought that because of these experiences, I would be ready for whatever college would bring my way. However, God had some more tough lessons that I needed to learn from.
After the first semester of my freshman year I was all too aware that I was struggling in almost all areas of my life. I wasn't connecting with friends or teammates, my classes were proving to be much harder than I ever could have imagined, and running seemed to just add to my stress. I was on a downward spiral filled with worry, stress, and incompetence. My prayers for a calm to the storm I was in were answered in a way. However, once again God brought an unexpected twist. When Coronavirus hit and we all had to hit pause on our daily activities, I was disappointed that my freshman year was cut short and my track season was cancelled. It took me a few weeks to realize that God had answered my prayers. Time spent in quarantine gave me the chance to calm down from the whirlwind of craziness caused by school. During this time, I really sought the Lord. I spent a lot of time in conversation with the Lord and I saw how much comfort comes from time in prayer. Through all of this, I was still having a very hard time seeing how all of the events from the past few months were a part of God’s plan for me.
Sometimes, when we are going through big changes in life, we tend to question God’s plan for us; we are only looking at what is happening at that very moment and responding to how it makes us feel. At that particular time in my life, I couldn't see why transitioning to college was so hard for me, or why Covid took away my track season and separated me from my friends. From my perspective, it seemed like things just kept getting worse. I kept asking myself, “How could this struggle I am feeling be what God had in mind for me?” However, through this time I had been praying for a way to get out of the rut that I was in, mentally and spiritually. Once again God answered my prayers in an unexpected way. In the middle of the pandemic, I got the opportunity to move to South Carolina to work for the summer.
I moved at the end of May 2020 and I started working as a paddleboard and kayak tour guide in Hilton Head, South Carolina. Before going I was the type of person that would not even go to the grocery store without someone going with me. I would just follow and do whatever my friends wanted to do and I would never go do anything by myself. I jumped in head first by moving 12 hours away from home to an island where I didn’t know anyone. This opportunity that God gave me put me in a situation that was way out of my comfort zone. It forced me to learn how to be my own person. By taking this step, I was able to meet amazing people from all over the world and to work with people that I wouldn't have met otherwise. I got to hear other people's life stories and to share my own as well. I found that I was able to succeed by being myself and that I didn't have to follow whatever my friends did. By the end of the summer I had found confidence in myself. This opportunity would not have been possible if it wasn't for the Covid quarantine. As we all know, God works in mysterious ways.
Sometimes, when we are struggling, it is easy to focus on the bad and it is hard to see what good could possibly come from that bad. However, it is important to remember perspective. When we are in these types of situations, we are looking at it extremely close up. When you look at an image really close up and magnified, it is really hard to make out what that picture is supposed to be, but if you take a step back you can see the whole picture perfectly. God is always looking at the whole picture that is your entire life; while we are usually looking at just one extremely magnified area. Take a second to think back on a time a few years ago when something bad happened to you and at the time, it felt like your whole world was crashing down on you. Do you still feel that pain or disappointment that you felt then? The answer is most likely no. Maybe you didn't win a race you wanted to, or maybe you didn't do well in a class, or get into the college you wanted to. Overtime you see that those things that seemed so important at the time don't even matter to you any more or maybe you don't even remember them. Overtime those earthy priorities change. The only thing that will always stay constant is our relationship with our Lord and Savior Jesus.
It is so important to have perspective in our lives: the perspective that all of our earthly desires will fade or change. Earthly things that make us happy will not last, but the joy and peace we feel from the love of God is everlasting. God always sees the whole picture and it can be so helpful for us to try to see things from God's perspective. Remember, that we are seeing things in this magnified and distorted way that make earthly feelings seem so much greater than what they really are. So take a step back and try to look at each situation in life from God's perspective. What is He seeing that we can’t see?
Sometimes, we just have to step back and trust that God is in control, that He has a plan for us and even when that plan doesn't match what we had in mind for ourselves, we can find so much comfort in that God sees the whole picture and His plan for us is greater than we could ever imagine. Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding: in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your path straight.”
I challenge you to think about in what ways you are actively trusting in the Lord. Are you trying to do everything on your own? Or, are you leaning on the Lord and finding peace and comfort in knowing that He has you in the palm of His hand. Trust in the Lord! He has such amazing plans for you.
May you be filled with God’s love and share it for all to see!
