FUTURE.

I bet you've heard this word just as many times as you've been asked what you want to do for a living, or what your major is.

Since I've been in college, the future is ALL I can think about. What job do I want? Do I want a family? Do I want to be married in 10 years? What club/internship will help my future?

Because of these constant thoughts, the future seems exciting and bright, but scary.

It's scary because this isn't high school anymore where your future thoughts don't go past what college you would want to go to or who you will take to prom. This is real life now and the actions we take will affect our lives.

Very recently, I picked up a book called The Lipstick Gospel (by Stephanie Wilson). This nonfiction book is about a college student, who goes through heartbreak and struggles of every college student's preparation for the future. Then, she finds Jesus and her plans change. Instead of being a journalist, she decides to become a missionary and write this book to inspire and help young women around the world.

The book resonated with me because her life turned out vastly different than she expected and her profession is different than when she entered college, but she's living a life happier than she could imagine. At the beginning of the book, she dreams about "a life that was so good [she] wouldn't believe it even if [she'd] been told."

Lately, I've been thinking about the power of leaving my future in God's hands, letting go, finding ways to accept life if my plan changes, and dreaming about a life beyond my wildest dreams.

College, much like life, has twists and turns and isn't a straight path.

My hope for you is that you have a plan, but you don't hold on to that plan so tightly that when things change devastation sets in. But most importantly, I dare you to dream of a life that's "so good [you] wouldn't believe it even if [you'd] been told."