THIS
CRAZY LITTLE THING CALLED LIFE
by Emily T. Wierenga
The final bell has rung; you’ve framed your diploma, embraced the
teachers you once disliked, and promised eternal friendship to all of
your peers.
Now what? Life looms before you -- what will you do with the time you’ve
been given?
No doubt, there are countless opportunities for you to choose from, and
it can seem overwhelming. But keep this in mind: “ ‘I know
the plans I have for you,’ says the Lord.” (Jeremiah 29:11)
Tap into your identity as a child of God. By so doing, you will find direction
and purpose.
IN
A HEARTBEAT
Don’t you wish Heaven would text-message step-by-step instructions?
It may require picking up a Bible instead of a cell phone, but God has
provided a set of guidelines to live by. If heeded, they can be the ticket
to understanding your destiny.
Did you know that God’s will can be summed up in one verse? Check
out Matthew 22:37-39, where Jesus says: “ ‘You must love the
Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul and all your mind.’
... A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’
”
While this verse may not tell you which degree to choose, it clearly states
God’s will. As Bruce Bickel and Stan Jantz write in Real Life Begins
After High School (Servant Publications), “God’s will isn’t
so much a time or a place or a person. It is a condition of your heart.”
In other words, if you put God first in everything you do, you’re
guaranteed to please Him and find success in life.
A
GENTLEMAN’S WAYS
Bickel and Jantz pinpoint several other traits of God’s character
which are helpful in discerning His desires for our life:
- God isn’t trying to play a guessing game with you.
- Most of the time, there is not one single, overriding plan for your life.
- There are a lot of areas where God’s will doesn’t matter (for example, what cereal you eat).
- God’s will has momentum -- it’s never stagnant.
- God equips you for doing His will.
- Prayer plays a big part in knowing God’s will.
Keep in mind: “God is a perfect gentleman. He is always available to you, but He won’t intrude on you,” explain Bickel and Jantz. “He waits for you to seek Him.”
ENVISION
THIS
A couple of surfin’ brothers from California have written a book
entitled Cool Stuff They Should Teach in School (Cool Stuff Media,
2005).
In one of the chapters, Kent and Kyle Healy advocate creating your own
“vision board” -- that is, a collage of pictures, statements,
etc., which inspire you. “Every time we become distracted or frustrated
when things don’t go as well as we want, we look at our vision board,”
the brothers explain. “It motivates us to keep going.”
The Healys may only be teenagers themselves, but they’ve already
founded their own publishing company dedicated to providing teens with
material needed to survive the ‘real world.’
With God at your side, anything is possible. It may take selling all your
possessions, as Kent and Kyle did in order to publish their book, but
if you believe in something, go hard.
Bickel and Jantz also advocate the idea of maintaining a vision, only
they refer to it as a “mission statement.” By writing one,
they explain, you are determining one of three things: Whether you simply
want a job that gives you a paycheque, a mission where you make a difference
by what you do, or a career which allows you to climb the ladder.
STAY
TRUE TO YOU
It’s important to know yourself -- more so now than ever.
Know what you stand for, what you believe in, and who God wants you to
become. This will determine who your friends are. As the saying goes,
“You can’t soar like an eagle when you hang with turkeys.”
Don’t limit yourself. Perhaps university isn’t for you.
In High School’s Not Forever (HCI, 2005), authors Jane
Bluestein and Eric D. Katz tell of geniuses who struggled in the classroom.
For example, Pablo Picasso’s father pulled him out of school at
age 10 and hired a tutor, who soon gave up and quit, and Louis Pasteur
was rated just “mediocre” in college chemistry.
God has gifted you to do something unique, so press into Him and uncover those gifts! Then develop a vision or a mission statement, and do whatever it takes to make that dream come true.
HEALTH 101 -- College Style
Alone
for the first time, life can seem a bit overwhelming.
With deadlines, rent payments and utility bills, the last thing you’re
wanting is to adhere to a daily diet. Get some tips on how to avoid the
dreaded “Freshman 15" plus more healthy eating tips...Read
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Keeping Christ on Campus
College campuses can be big -- so big, in fact, that students often lose
track of their faith. But according to 24-year-old Abbie Smith, post-secondary
education doesn’t have to destroy or even dim your faith in Christ.
Read More...
Adventurous
Alternatives
After
you graduate from high school you’ll go to university, right? Then
you’ll get a good job, marry and raise kids, retire and buy a condo
in Florida?
Hmm ... do you really feel like living the norm, or pursuing an adventure?
Read
More...
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