I wish I could tell you it's easy to be patient.
It's not.
In fact, I've spent most of my life struggling and fighting and working toward becoming more patient, asking God at least once a year, sometimes once a day, other times once an hour, for more patience.
The latest saga of my impatience? Being uncertain of the future.
You see, I'm a college student in my senior year. Come May of 2019, I'll have completed my undergraduate degree. In May, it will be time to move on, to find a job (hopefully in my industry) and enter the workforce.
The problem: I have no idea where to start looking for that job.
Do I go home to Colorado? Do I try my luck in a city like New York? Do I apply for as many jobs as possible throughout the next semester and hope one of them works out and gives me some sort of direction to head in? What do I do about finances in the meantime? I will have student debt to pay off, I may need to buy a car (and if not, I definitely will have maintenance costs), I may need to pay rent, I may need to move to a new city, state, and neighborhood.
Here's the problem I'm facing with this unknown: I 100% believe God has a plan for my life. I'm impatient for him to let me in on the great secret of the next step. I'm not worried, because I know he has something planned. I'm not concerned because I know I'm his beloved and he is working to put me where he wants me.
I just wish I could be as excited as I'm sure he is.
One of the most quoted verses when it comes to this sort of uncertainty is Jeremiah 29:11,
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
It's audacious of me, but I want to know those plans. So often I find myself longing to peek over God's shoulder as he draws blueprints, wanting to get a glimpse of what might happen next. And sometimes I think he lets me, just to maintain my hope in him.
But if you find yourself in the same position I'm in, don't worry. You're not alone. Please join me in praying for patience as God works things out in his time and not mine. His time, after all, has never failed me yet, and never will.
Let's not be audacious. Let's remember we're not gods. Let's remember he sees things we'll never see, he knows things we'll never know. To have the chance to trust him is an honor, to have his hand in our lives is a blessing. To live in his love is a miracle.
Will you join me in being patient for God's far better plan?
J. J. Hanna is a writer and reader who loves God and wants to help encourage others with what she knows and what she's learning. Answer her questions with a quick note and connect with her on social media. She's excited to hear from you!
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