Anyone who's watched High School Musical or the Teen Beach Movie or any such Disneylicious teen drama know that at some point or another, the heroes and heroines always get hung up on the idea of the future.
I never got it before. I mean, I've seen High School Musical a bajillion times and for years, Troy and Gabriella's anxiety about the future never resonated with me like it does now. Because now, I find myself where they are—older, actually, which is too terrifying to even consider. But the point is: here I am, facing the future, suddenly responsible for making choices that could affect it, and nowhere near sure of where I'm going or how I'm going to get there.
Are you relating?
It's not melodrama. It's not an overreaction to the influx of new responsibility. It's legitimate fear, legitimate doubt. What if we can't figure out where we're supposed to be? What if we think we know but have it all wrong? What if we're missing something? What if we end up hating the road we're on? What if we never fulfill our dreams? What if the future we want isn't an option for us? What if, what if, what if?
Here's what I'm not going to tell you: "You can have whatever you future you want—just get out there and grab it! Don't let anyone stop you! It's in your hands!"
News flash—it's not. The future is far beyond our control, and while we can contribute to keeping ourselves on a certain path, or putting in the effort to succeed, we ultimately have no control over the twists and turns that are waiting down the road to interfere with our best-laid plans. Maybe that's terrifying for you. Maybe you've got it all mapped out and you just know you can make it happen, you just know you can bring about the future you've always wanted. But guess what? Things might not turn out the way you hope. And believe it or not, that's not terrifying.
It's actually remarkably reassuring.
Unlike Troy and Gabriella, or Brady and Mack, or Austin and Ally, or whatever your Disney jam is, you have a certainty unlike any other. You and I have God. We have the promise that we will never be alone, no matter what path we end up on. We have the promise of God's guidance, wherever we are. We have the assurance that all things work together for good to those who love God, that He can redeem any mistake we make, that ultimately, life is about glorifying Him, not about our dream job or dream family or the list of goals we want to check off before we die.
The future doesn't have to terrify us. If God is a part of it, any path we end up on will be the right one. He can help us to enjoy something we never saw ourselves enjoying, or teach us something awesome through a future we never would have chosen. He knows what we want even more clearly than we do, but more than that, He knows what we need. We don't need to fear the future. We just need to trust Him.
Troy and Gabriella wish they could soar and fly into the future with the confidence that we can. So let's be brave. Let's step into the future... and hold on to God.
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