WHAT’S NEXT?

It is easy to become engulfed in the modern culture’s busyness cycle and yearn to be the next big success story. Contentment seems to be a long-lost virtue, as culture teaches us to never become satisfied and always crave to be and have more. Have we taken the opportunity to sit back and reflect on all our endeavors? Have we allowed ourselves to be in the moment without the hasty thought of what’s next? God answered the prayer for the new job; now, we are anxiously planning our next move instead of simply allowing ourselves to be still and bask in the fullness of the miracle.

God is the God of our past and future, but He is also the God of our present. He is in the NOW of where we are in life. Why are we allowing what’s next to take away from what God is doing NOW? Our big dreams for the future keep us on our toes, and we never allow ourselves the opportunity to kick our feet up. Have our desire for success become nothing more than a crazy pursuit for the applause of men? Have our passion for success become nothing more than a crazy pursuit to keep up with someone we saw on Instagram?

In college, we do not even have the chance to settle before someone asks, “what’s next?” Often, we can feel ashamed or lesser than others because we do not have an answer. It is okay to not know what’s next. It is okay to simply be in the moment where God has us. God has already formed our future and will reveal the next in His timing. We must ask ourselves, “Am I a faithful steward of the season God has me in right now?” We quickly look forward to what’s next because we do not allow ourselves to see God in the NOW. We do not allow ourselves to learn the lessons, embrace the opportunities and utilize the connections He has afforded us in the current season of our lives. We mishandle future opportunities because we neglected what God was trying to place within us in the previous season.

Worry and comparison are two enemies of the present. Worry weighs us down, causing us to limit God’s ability to work in the present. I often hear, “What we worry about often reveals where we trust God the least.” Because of this, we miss the precious moments of the present. Comparison keeps us in competition with people who probably do not know we exist. Instagram influencers have become our symbols of success, so we attempt to center our lives on becoming like them. Not only do we compare ourselves with strangers, but with those around us. We cannot celebrate others because we are too busy finding a way to become like or “better” than them. This kind of attitude will never be fulfilling and destroy friendships.

So, my friends, may we never rob today of our total allegiance because of our anticipation of tomorrow. After all, tomorrow is not even promised. We plan and prepare for what’s next with no guarantee there will ever be one. Therefore, we must seize and capitalize on the moments God has afforded us NOW. May we never miss the blessings of today because we are too focused on an unpromised “better blessing” of tomorrow. May we allow Jireh, not our goals, success, or big dreams, to be enough in every season He leads us to.