July 27th, 2020

​Last week, I had a chance to volunteer with a young lady who'd recently graduated from college. I asked her what she wanted to do now. A puzzled look of sorts came over her. Then, after a little thought, she gave me a moderately long list of possibilities.

I ask soon to be college graduates that question all the time. What's next?

To be honest, I'm always more hopeful for the ones who say I don't have a clue. Don't get me wrong, I think there's value in having direction and goals. But I find these days that young people who get so narrowly focused on their desired outcome in life - some clear picture they've established of how life is going to go - are inhibiting themselves from discovering new possibilities along the way.

I actually find that's true of all people.

I guess I've just experienced life enough to know that my plans rarely go as I plan. I've also discovered that when I try to align what I WANT TO DO with WHO GOD WANTS ME TO BE, my plans usually turn out much better than anything I could have come up with on my own.

Before I sat down to write this article this morning, I had the same brief conversation with God I have every morning when I sit down to write. I don't ask God to tell me what to write, I simply ask God to use what I do write as some small chapter in his story.

And I heard God say what he always says: well be quiet then and get busy writing.

I hear that through the day too. I hear God saying get busy doing something I can use.

Sometimes I picture God in the kitchen cooking. I never have any idea what it is he's cooking, only that it will be something I've never tasted before, and it will simply be the most delicious thing that's ever crossed the borders of my mouth.

I always picture God reaching for the ingredients for this dish. There's just something missing, he seems to be thinking.

More and more, I try not to focus on what that dish will be, or what it will taste like. I simply trust and believe it's going to blow my mind away. And my taste buds.

What I try to focus on is this: is this next thing I'm doing in my life - is it possible this can be an ingredient in God's masterpiece? When God is reaching for that next ingredient - how many ingredients from my life am I sliding across the counter toward where he's cooking his masterpiece.

I long ago gave up on the idea that I'm going to cook a masterpiece in life. And believe me, that comes with far more hope and confidence than it sounds.

You see, I'm all in on the idea I can become an ingredient or two in the greatest masterpiece ever created. It doesn't get more hopeful than that.

So I'm with you young lady. I have no idea what I want to do either. I just know what I want to be a part of.