Summer is coming to a close, and as the days of summer quickly decrease, our proximity to the first day back on campus becomes closer and closer. Whether you're excited or not to be returning to university once again, you probably have expectations. You hope this year will be a certain way and that you will have the opportunity to do certain things. While it is great to plan your year and look forward to the future, keep in mind that the future is not yours to hold. God knows what this year has in store for you and it may or may not line up with your expectations. You can plan all you want, but at the end of the day, your plans are useless without the backing and willing of God. This may seem scary to some who feel pressured to plan their life to a T. Others may feel relieved, knowing that they don't have to know everything and figure everything out by themselves. Oftentimes, I am the first person, striving to know what my future will be, but I strive, as I hope you do too, to be like the second person, trusting that God has everything in His hands. With this in mind, here are some Bible verses to help you give your expectations and future plans to the one who holds them all:

1. Psalm 39:7

This is so encouraging. We can't wait on ourselves. We will always disappoint ourselves, but God will never disappoint us.

2. Romans 8:18

College can be a struggle. Not in an "I have so much homework and my roommate is really loud" kind of way, but in a lonely, desperate, "I don't know where my life is going" kind of way. This emotional strain, I think, can be classified as "our present sufferings". This verse is then so uplifting because it gives us hope that our problems and despair will pass and it will be beautiful!

3. Psalm 16:8

When our future is unsure, He is still there. The future and the pressures of this world, telling us to have a 5-year plan don't have to scare us when God is right there next to us.

4. Joshua 1:9

The future is scary. Despite this, God tells us to be courageous and not to be frightened. God is with us now and forever, so the future doesn't have to be scary.

5. Matthew 6:34

God is holding the future. It is not ours to worry about. So don't worry. It's much easier said than done, but there is so much to worry about that it's overwhelming and not worth doing. God's got it all handled. Don't worry.

So as you return to college with your head full of plans and expectations, take a step back and look at the big picture. God's got a plan and you don't need to worry about your future. He's got this.