"It's time to say goodbye, but I think goodbyes are sad and I'd much rather say hello. Hello to a new adventure."
Naturally, when you're 22, still in college, we think we're suppose to have it all figured out.
We have our lives all planned out down to the day we get married. I know I did, good ole Pinterest!
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In the midst of our life planning and juggling everything we've set forth for ourselves we forget one major component: God.
I think most can admit to building a life for themselves without truly asking the question, "God, is this what you wanted for my life, is this who or what I'm supposed to be?"
I spent a majority of my college years selfishly making my own decisions, never asking God for the slightest bit of guidance.
We get ourselves in this sort of "tunnel vision" pushing, striving and pursuing onward. I wanted what I thought I needed and spiraled toward a life of my own.
Then, life has a funny way of not going as planned; doesn't it know we're on a strict schedule?
I've encountered so many instances where being disappointed would have been an understatement. Then, all of a sudden, God becomes an ache in our hearts, more of a priority.
When the paths we've chosen have lead us to defeat and brokenness, God is waiting with open arms.
"He does not want you to try it again on your own strength. You've already tried and failed." –Lisa Bevere
What happens when we seek God for guidance?
When it comes to a relationship with Christ, I've come to learn that it's much like our worldly relationships; what you put in is what you get out. What does that mean exactly?
Well, for starters, our Father wants you to want Him for the right reasons, not simply for the blessings.
I talk a lot about the seasons of our lives, good and bad. The Lord wants to know we know the truth and seek Him for who He is, not only what He can do for us.
We need to know the truth with a deeper intimacy than we've known lies. Once you know the truth, you're intimately acquainted with it.
When asking for guidance, I truly struggle with this. We all have this predetermined notion that God will just magically come from the heavens and lay out His plan – that's wishful thinking.
If it doesn't work that way, then how does it work? Much to our disappointment, there is a lot of down time...oh what's the word...oh yeah, patience
Wilderness of faith.
Sadly, nothing about a relationship with Christ is in our due time, which is such a buzz kill for those of us who are very much so impatient.
I read a book about ones journey in growing intimately with the Lord. This book discussed the sort of stages one must go through.
Many of us joke about wishing our Lord would just inbox, direct message, tweet or at least, send us a voicemail of what our straight and narrow is. Thinking about it, I asked myself, "Do relationships work like that?" Can you just walk up to someone after barely knowing them and ask intimate and serious questions?
It's a process of seeking and patience that comes with getting to know our God, essentially learning in the quiet time and growing. Whatever the Lord has planned for your life can't be heard if we don't know the Lord or how to listen and seek His voice.
Our guidance from the Lord is a journey; quite honestly, it's one that'll always be ever-changing.
Good in goodbye.
It's not necessarily a hard part about our relationship with Christ, but for us stubborn children, it can be. Growing with the Lord also means letting Him in – yes, ladies letting Him all the way in. What happens when we ask for guidance and let God in? It means something different for each individual; however, for most, it's renewing your heart.
When I look back at the disappointments I was so distraught over, I found myself thanking God. That job I didn't get, the trip I couldn't go on, the man who broke my heart – I become so thankful. We can be so sure of what we want in the moment, that when it comes to a halt, we're left to pick up the pieces.
The most beautiful lesson I ever learned from my relationship with the Lord is what He taught me about myself. Asking for guidance led me toward realizing I truly didn't know what I wanted in certain moments of my life. The phrase, "What was I thinking" – yeah, we've all said that a time or two.
God teaches us in the wilderness what it means to not only know Him but know ourselves, or rather who God meant for us to be, essentially finding the good in goodbye with components of our lives that were never truly meant for us.
Jesus replied, "You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand." John 13:7
