Our lives consist of wrong turns and strange detours. You may know where you want to go but don't know how to get there or don't know where you want to go and sure as heck don't know how to get there. In some point in your life you're going to feel lost, it happens to the best of us.

For most of my life, I worked so hard to impress other people; whether it was by getting good grades, being the right role model for my younger siblings, maintaining a certain weight,or making other people proud. While having that mentality I wasn't allowing myself to par take in anything that I was passionate about or made me happy, becuase I was too worried about catering to what others wanted and expected from me. I'm twenty-three years old and I don't know what I really want and to me that's okay, but society would label me as a failure. It's like if you don't know what you want to do in the next five years you're instantly labeled inadequte.

I'm lost, confused and indecisive. What do you do when you don't know what to do? Where do you turn when you don't know where to turn?

Allow me to tell you a story. One of my close friends found out that she was expecting a baby. She was so confused and lost (hints to as why I'm telling you this story) and didn't have a support system, not from her boyfriend, sister, mom--no one. This was something she didn't expect to go through, especially not alone. There were many of days where she didn't know what she was going to do. There she was five months pregnant not knowing what her next step would be. Her finale decsion was to terminate the pregnancy even though she knew that wasn't the road God wanted her to walk down, she chose that path anyway. This was not in Gods plan, but because He is so powerful and graceful he used what the enemy desired for evil and used it for his good. My friend always prayed for a softer heart and a better understanding of the needs of others and that's how she learned.My friend is living life the way she was meant to live it. Even though she wandered down the wrong path God met her at the end of that path. He offered her a new heart and a new way of living. Through her lonely walk she found her purpose.

I'm a firm believer that when you ask for something, God is not one to just give it to you, but to put you in a situation in which you can gain what you've asked for. Practice makes perfect right? For example, I'm always praying to be more patient and then BOOM! I have to stand in a long line at the check out lane at Target. This isn't what I meant Jesus! Sometimes, the oppurtunities we ask for aren't presented to us in the way that we want the, but that doesn't take away the fact that they're not presented.

Yes, life may be about finding your way, but I think that a large part of life should involve getting lost every now and then. It's ok to fail. Failures are not wasted experiences, as long as we learn and grow as a result. If you only go about things knowing exactly what you want to do and where you want to go, then little experiences can slip right through your fingers.

There's a parable in Luke 15:3-7 about a shepherd and his lost sheep that explains things a little bit better. One day one of the sheep got lost. The shepherd left his 99 sheep in a safe place and went to look for the missing one. He searched high in the mountains and far into the wilderness. When he finally found his sheep the shepherd rejoiced. He put the sheep on his shoulders and carried it home. The shepherd called his friends together and told them how he had found his sheep. They celebrated together.

It seems that whenever wander off from God, we start to believe that we don't deserve mercy or a shepherd or warm welcome back. Obviously the scricpture tells us other wise. Jesus watches over us and helps protect us from danger. He never gives up on us whenever we make mistakes and he rejoices when we realize our wrong doings, repent and return to his embrace.

How sweet is to know that Jesus will drop everything to come looking for us?

I've fallen away from His embrace so many times because I try to be perfect and please everyone; and if I don't accomplish that daily goal then I hate myself. I'm ashamed. When I start getting into my feelings and start being hard on myself I end up turning my back on my biggest cheerleader--God. Sounds absurded right? I know. I'm not perfect and I know that God loves me irregardless. He shows me that with Him, I am better than my flaws.

We don't have to have everything figured out by a certain age, so don't feel like as soon as you get to college you have to have a plan. He will leave 100 people to come looking for little 'ol you, because you're worth it. Remeber that when you have your moment of feeling lost and don't know what to do, God will be waiting for your return with his arms wide open. It's more important to listen to God and lean on him for his support.Whatever you do end up decideing to do with your life and or career just know that you are loved beyond measure and are wanted for a purpose.