by Timothy Deal
May 13, 2016
We’ve had some wonderfully introspective blogs from our courageous CotW writers/editors lately. I’m going to attempt to continue that series – if only because certain anniversaries came up recently – but in case my insights come out like a rehash of previous blogs, I’ll try to keep it concise.
geralt / Pixabay
Generally, I’m not one to fixate on anniversaries of life events (which I can get away with as a bachelor), but this year the arrival of May prompted mixed feelings. You see, this May marks five years since I finished graduate school and ten years since I finished college. And truth be told, my life today doesn’t really match what I envisioned for myself back when I graduated either time. I’m still unmarried, unsettled in my career, and not nearly as financially stable as I would prefer. At times, it’s hard not to look at where I’m at this far after graduation and not consider myself a failure.
And yet, my hand still finds plenty of work to do when I set my mind to it. Even as I write this blog, there’s some freelance work tugging on the corner of my brain, longing for attention after other job commitments had necessitated their delay. I’ve also got podcasts that need finishing, family videotapes that need converting, an office that needs organizing, and many stories that need to be told. While sometimes a lengthy to-do list can be overwhelming and make you want to crawl into a TV binge session, at other times, it’s comforting and invigorating to realize there are many outlets awaiting your creativity, if you can just stop worrying long enough to get to it.
Ultimately, dwelling over my dashed expectations accomplishes nothing but stress, anxiety, and depression. There’s a reason Jesus taught against worry; after all, “Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?” (Matthew 6:27) I know I’ve made mistakes on my journey thus far, but I also know I have a patient Father in Heaven who forgives and wants me to press onward.
Therefore, this graduation anniversary I choose not to fret over where I’m not and instead be grateful for and faithful to where I am and the opportunities currently at hand. Or as the apostle Paul put it, “Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” (Phillippians 3:13-14).
