There is something magical about turning 22. You find yourself at a point in life where college has most likely ended, a job or masters has begun, and the reality of being an adult consumes you. You look to the right only to realize that half of those you once shared the nursery with are married, and a fourth of those are already having kids!
For some, this time of life is exciting, and yet for those looking from the outside in, it can seem discouraging and even hopeless. Defeat can appear to be in the making…at least to the standards of some. These feelings of despair can cause the impatient to run away from their problems, some to make hasty life-altering decisions, and others to wallow in depression wondering when life will begin.
Once upon a time, I have almost become all of these, yet there is something that keeps me from allowing myself to settle…and that is my faith. Sometimes faith is remaining still when everything else is calling out to run in the opposite direction. Sometimes faith is sitting down..waiting…even when we think we can see all around us. You see, hope is most often found when we simply cease from striving. Some may call this defeat, but the truth is that we are called to do just that, not to be lazy mind you, but to refrain from doing things in our own strength and in our own timing.
Lately, I have really come to grips with the reality of how important this is. Although our surrounding culture may have a designated timetable by which it measures success, God has a timetable that is completely unlike the norm, and has the capacity to be completely personal. No two people will follow the exact same storyline, when they are allowing their lives to be written by the ultimate author. God has a timeline written out for us that is successful only when we allow it to take precedence over our self-created one. When singles find themselves sitting alone on a Friday night, it can be quite tempting to create a new destiny. When a college graduate isn’t seeing a specific door open for the exact calling God has made clear to them, it can be tempting to rush over and force the handle on the door nearby.
The truth though, is that God is already at work, with exact precision, forming a destiny that only we are meant to live out. Sometimes we are being called to wait, to learn patience, and to simply allow ourselves to rest in his guiding hand. At this moment, our destiny may be depending upon our ability to cease from striving, to cease from worrying, and to allow our eyes to have time to adjust to the dark. There is no greater time in life than when we are forced to cry out to God in complete humility and admit our lack of knowledge.
God’s voice often comes when we least expect it. Sometimes we simply need to, once again, become accustomed to silence to hear noise, become accustomed to darkness to recognize the light, and once again cease from striving to know what God is calling us to do next. We were never meant to write our own destiny, but to instead give the pen over to an all knowing God, and to listen in patient anticipation for a voice that can silence any storm with a gentle whisper.
~James 1:2-5
