What Am I .Doing With My Life? 20 Words:
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et me start by sharing the most unromantic story ever. I was 22 and out of college while my onagain/off-again girlfriend was still attending Texas State. It was a brutal break up with her my senior year that drove me into the arms of Christ, but by then the damage was done. She hated me. That is, until God convicted her heart and she miraculously decided to forgive me after years of dealing with my lying and unfaithfulness. And so we became friends again. I loved her like a best friend, but marriage? No way. I wasn’t getting married.
So there we were, rediscovering that it is in fact impossible to just be friends with the opposite sex when you’re attracted to them. This time around; however, we had the Spirit of Christ inside us convicting us every time we crossed a boundary. So the ultimatum was thrown out there: “We either get married or we can’t be friends anymore.” This time, I knew she was serious. So what was I to do? I was not ready to commit the next 60 years of my life to one girl! What if she’s not the one? I mean I did kinda have feelings for Sandra Bullock at the time too. One night the hammer came down while we were eating at Chili’s and she asked me once again, “So are you gonna marry me or what?” To which she received my usual response as I tried to plea for another decade to mull it over. We sensed the end was near, so we did what most couples do when faced with a heavy situation – we went to a movie and tried not to think about it. The only thing I didn’t account for was the God factor.
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When the creator of the universe wants to speak something to you, you can’t run from it. And on this night, He spoke directly to me about my future through Keanu Reeves and The Matrix. In a scene where Keanu’s character Neo is forced to make a decision on whether to repeat the same patterns of his life or take a risk and follow a girl (Trinity) on an adventure that hinted toward his destiny, he makes a split second decision and goes all in, on this new adventure. It was as if God was shining a light on my future and destiny. It was like I caught a glimpse of what my life would be like with and without Mona. I sensed a destiny God was calling me into that would only be fulfilled with her by my side. On the way back to Mona’s dorm room, with
the impending verdict on our future looming,
I blurted out these words that will always be dear to her heart “Alright, %*!# it. Let’s just get married.” It wasn’t rehearsed, it wasn’t romantic; it was just the raw, passionate reaction of a young man pressing through fears and doubt to be obedient to God. We were married three months later. The odds were not in our favor, but Jesus was, and 12 incredible years later I clearly see why he wanted us yoked together. We make an awesome team.
Now back to you for a moment. You are the reason I wrote this article. Maybe you are at a crossroads in your life; maybe you feel aimless and need some direction. Perhaps folks have even asked you lately where you see your life going. I suppose my point in sharing the most unromantic proposal story ever is that it reminds me how hearing and following
God’s voice trumps any and all plans that we make for ourselves, every time. We must take risks like the one my wife took in agreeing to marry a recovering pagan who lied, cheated, and stole her heart multiple times. Had Mona had her way, she would still be throwing darts at a picture of my face somewhere (she actually did that when we broke up). Instead, she was submissive to God’s voice telling her to forgive me.
Where are you going with your life? If the decisions you are making are without counsel from heaven, you are setting yourself up for failure. I am sure we have all made what we felt were good decisions without consulting God. The problem is that we are creatures of habit and as we grow, used to making decisions without Jesus in the center of them, we eventually find ourselves near retirement asking the same questions we were asking in our early 20’s. Is this where I wanted my life to go? Is this the great plan God had for me to pursue? My point this month is simple. Everything in life hinges on our relationship with Jesus Christ. Without him there is no purpose to anything in this world. The best advice is, in this case, the most obvious. If you are confused on the direction your life is taking or what you should do next, spend a season going back to the basics of pursuing God through prayer, scripture, and acts of service. It’s often in the emptying of ourselves to God and others that we discover who He truly created us to be.
Joe Elliot Youth & Young Adult Minister Northwest Fellowship 20 Words has a dual meaning--it speaks to an audience in their 20s while highlighting 20 words that send a message.
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