Next Steps

Next steps…

Our world seems to have an obsession with “next steps”. We are always looking forward. So often, especially if you haven’t seen someone in a while, his or her questions are:

So what are you doing next year?

When are you moving back to the states?

When are you getting married?

When are you going back to school?

They want to know what you will do. I have been learning recently to look towards the future with hope and with trust that God is taking care of the tiny details that I can’t. I’ve also had this increasing desire to live in the present. And you know what? It’s hard. It’s a fight. Sometimes it’s easier to live in the dream world of what could be. But what if instead we asked people about the present, more than just a how are you? Instead what if we asked:

What are you doing right now with your life?

What was your best moment today?

What is God teaching you TODAY?

Today isn’t lost. This week isn’t lost. It’s still here. It’s living and breathing, and in truth, it’s all we’ve got. We have a hope beyond that, knowing that someday we are going to be in a heavenly kingdom. It’s not a free pass to live as we want and use YOLO (you only live once) as our mantra. But it is a reminder to live fully present, fully engaged.

As I tell you what God is teaching me about this, I say it because I’m learning this. My plans for the future aren’t nailed down to the tiniest detail, and God has used the unknown to allow me to look at the present. Time will come for me to focus and plan for what is to come.

For today, I choose:

To hug my students tightly and tell them I love them, because my time with them is short.

To really listen and talk with those I love that I will be apart from for the summer, or longer.

To ask God what opportunities he has for me today.

To ask God what words he wants to give to others through me today.

To work as if I’m working for the Lord and not men

To read my Bible as if my life depended on it

To talk with people whether or not I truly “have time”.

I have a lot of “next steps” coming up, and I look forward in hope to the mission that I will be a part of, to God using in me in different ways then he is. But for 19 more days, this place is where I will live. Whether that means saying goodbye, hello, or just enjoying moments. I will choose to live here.