Upon graduating from college, I had many questions about what my future held but few answers. For me, deciding a career path immediately held a lot of weight and left me feeling more defeated than encouraged. I lacked confidence in achieving the big plans that the Lord had placed in my heart. I believed that God may not come through for me. As a child, we are told to dream, “reach for the stars”, and get excited about becoming an independent adult; but college struck a different chord. The dreams ceased, and practicality set in.
In weekly Round Tables during the Fellows program, community members would come and share their lives with us over a meal. Some of these individuals were successful businessmen and women, influential leaders, entrepreneurs, and others who raised their family full-time. Hearing these stories week after week instilled hope in me, and I began to dream again.
There is power in testimony and encouragement in the way God works in others. It frees you, allows you to pray big, and shows you our Savior in a beautiful light.
God has put numerous promises and reminders in His Word and in your heart: promises for your future and reminders through your past. He was faithful then. Why wouldn’t he be faithful now? Just like the Israelites, we forget about His faithfulness in the past and constantly need reminders. And I mean constantly.
Psalm 62:5-8 says that our hope comes from resting in God alone as our rock and salvation. You are seated in heavenly places, co-heirs with Jesus, more than a conqueror in Christ, and complete in the way He made you. He has a plan for the future, but we must have HOPE. It isn’t a futile concept – our Father who showers us with His love mandates it. With more hope comes more intimacy with our Father. He is a giver, and as you press in and stop striving – the more you encounter His actual, tangible love.
Through the Fellows and hearing the way God worked, I found the freedom to hope for my future and have faith that my dreams aren’t too big for him to handle or fulfill – even when His answers look different than what I anticipated.
That next year, I took a leap of faith and moved to Washington, D.C. to follow His call. It hasn’t been easy. But it is worth the adventure with my Father, the Creator. I don’t think this adventure equates to an easy life, but if He hasn’t let you down so far, He will continue to sustain you by His unending love.
“And these three remain: Faith, Hope, and Love. The strongest of these is love.” 1 Corinthians 13:13