Next?

I spend a lot of my time these days wondering and anticipating what the next steps in my life will be.  As someone with faith in Jesus Christ who knows his passions, I am letting these things guide me in my pursuit of what is ahead.  In the meantime, I am reminded of a message God laid on my heart several years ago.  It is a constant alert that sounds off that what is next is not the most important thing.

It is easy to get wrapped up in a future that will always be uncertain for us.  Think about that for a moment: we may have an idea of where we would like to be, but things may not turn out that way.  Or, we may be so focused on where we see ourselves one day that it sometimes frustrates us to be where we are presently.  Goal-setting and aspirations to achieve our dreams is very important and vital to our quality of life, but these things should never be it for us.

If five years from today is the main thing we live for, we may be missing the bigger picture God wants us to see.  A verse that is stitched on my heart from the Bible is one of commonplace among many Christ-followers: Jeremiah 29:11 says, “‘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.”

God not only promises us a hope and a future, but He regularly uses our passions, gifts, experiences, skills, and abilities to help us realize the direction He wants our lives to take.  Therefore, it is easy to look at where we plan to be one day and stop there with little or no further action.

Do you see something missing about God here?

Just as important as having a destination, we need to make the journey.  God is with you always.  If you are following Him, He is taking your current place in life and using it to lead you into your future.  That is what I would consider “hope,” and when you look at it that way, it shows you one of the two promises of Jeremiah 29:11 is yours immediately.

So, what’s next?  That is a question we may find ourselves asking or being asked.  But that is also only half of the solution.  God has stitched our lives so tightly with His purposes, but they are not merely for some time far off.

Rather than constantly looking at outcomes, look at what actions you are going to take right now.  What does God want to do with the breath you are breathing?  What about with the feet that are resting as you read this?  What does He want you to do with this very moment?

God is a God of the now.  So, let us all ask ourselves: what’s now?