As I write this post, I’m sitting in a comfortable armchair and gazing out of a window overlooking Harvard Yard. I’ve got my iced tea, and I’m planning on reading (for FUN!) once I’m done. The only thing that separates me from my plane ride home for spring break is Bible study this evening…and hopefully a full night’s rest after that.
I am still finding it difficult to believe that there will be only 5.5 weeks of classes left upon my return to Cambridge. As I write, I’m reflecting upon the fact that this picture of iced-tea-and-pleasure-reading comfort that I’m currently faced with is a good metaphor for the past 22 years of my life. I have always had a loving family, and selfless parents who have provided for me in ways far beyond the call of duty. I have always known what the next step to take should be – “Done with kindergarten? Great! Head on to elementary school. After that, it’s smooth sailing all the way through high school…then you might have a hiccup or two trying to figure out where to spend the next four years of your education, but no worries – no matter where you go, you can still hide behind the wall of academia!” – and it frightens me that I no longer have that safety net. In about three months, I will be graduating, getting married, becoming financially independent, and joining the adult working world. Yikes.
I imagine that I’m not the only person feeling this way, and I would also guess that this feeling is not limited to college seniors. Not knowing what will happen next is quite disconcerting, but is often the condition of our lives. We were not promised that we would know what tomorrow will bring. What we were promised, though, is so much better than that.
In John 10, Jesus says, “I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture…I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly” (John 10:9), and, “I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me, even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep” (John 10:14-15).
What a promise. I may not know what my next year, month, or even week holds in store for me, but what I DO know is this: I have a God who knows me. He loves me. He is going to take care of me. If I remain faithful, I will experience a future joy that so outweighs any sort of temporary comfort that this world has to offer, that it’s laughable that I even worry about this present age. Will this world kick me in the face every now and then, and humble me right down to the ground? Probably. Will I fail? Most likely. Will I get everything I want? Doubtful.
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” – 1 Peter 1:3-5