By Brenda Black
You know you've either arrived or you
are an old has-been when you start getting invitations to share your
wisdom. I'm still pondering which category I fall under, as I plan
for two school events where I'll answer questions about career
choices and next steps for the next generation.
Oh, to be young and full of
potentiality. It sounds exciting...and terrifying! I remember those
“simpler” days when destiny was shaped more by fantasies of
dreams becoming reality than true preparation for the real world.
Junior high and high school years were a time for exploration and
someone else footing the bill and assuming the responsibilities.
Humans at that age think time lasts forever, until suddenly it's
graduation day. The questions fly at these young adults like pointed
darts whizzing past their heads: “Where are you going to school?”
“What are you going to major in?” What do you want to do with
your life?” “Any idea where you want to live?”
Their answers are hits and misses on
the target of life, mostly just thrust toward a point two to four
years down the road, with hopes they hit a bullseye. I mean, who
actually, truly, honestly knows exactly what they want out of life at
17 or 18 years of age? Not many of us. Oh sure, we all have likes and
interests and skill sets that cause us to migrate toward career
choices. There are some who've known since they were eight what they
want to do to make a living. For the most part, the rest of the human
race just hopes something hits them in the face that they love and
for which they can be paid.
So, May rolls around, and countless
fresh-faced teens, who are headed to their twenties, embark on their
journeys to success. They hear the commencement speeches and march to
“Pomp and Circumstance.” They count the cards laden with cash and
shop for dorm room furnishings. Then they ponder, like this
50-something, just what do I want to be and what do I want to
accomplish?
May I offer a little advice...pray
about it! From the classes you take to the roommate you select, ask
for godly wisdom. In big decisions and small, seek counsel from the
One who knows you best. God created you and has a purpose for your
life. The plan is in place; your task is to pursue it. From one who's
always sensed a particular calling to communicate, I've learned that
if you listen with your heart as well as your head, you'll find your
way and you'll discover your destiny.
Go forth, young grads, filled less
with fear and more with promise. For the Lord goes before you and
will whisper in your ear profound wisdom, IF you listen. “Whether
you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice
behind you, saying, 'This is the way; walk
in it,' Isaiah 30:21.”
