By Anna Gail Welch
The world is broken, dark, cruel, unfair, and full of distractions that take our eyes away from God. However, there are numerous resources God has blessed us, His people, with to help guide our footsteps through the motions of an unpredictable life in Him.
The most common and most helpful link way between Christ and us is The Bible. There are hundreds of stories of Jesus’s teachings, His apostles’ journeys, and direct letters from God himself to us. As for my relationship with God, The Bible is my cornerstone for questions, answers, encouragement, acknowledgement, and understanding.
However, there are uncountable different ways to communicate and learn from Him. We must seek God’s guidance in this physical, temporary world. As His disciples, it is our responsibility to bring our spiritual reality in Christ into the real world. We have resources that God gives to us in His Word, in His church, and in Him to help steer us in a direction that is in His Name for His glory.
The name of Jesus is powerful. Jesus is what saves. His promises change broken lives that fall into His grace and mercy. His everlasting light is what dispels the darkness of this cruel world. The demons flee at the sound of His name. Maybe not physical or mental demons—these demons could be our burdens, hardships, and obstacles we face in our daily lives. As Christians, we need the powers of the Holy Spirit, the sacraments, and the church to sustain us in Him.
We are all imperfect people loved by a perfect God. We will always sin. We will always fall short, but thankfully, He is a forgiving and always accepting Father; unlike the world, which will always fail and disappoint us. He offers us Godly contentment: a state of serenity that flows out of trusting in His great sufficiency.
He is teaching us, as His disciples, to depend on Him alone and to be content with whatever He provides. Relying solely on Christ Jesus is a way of rich blessing, even though it may lead us down paths we may not have chosen for ourselves. This is God’s purpose being bigger than this world’s. If we are truly content to live with His provisions for us—now and in the future—we will not be plagued by anxiety. Instead of worrying about the “what if’s” this world beats into our worried minds, our hearts will be firmly fixed and confident in Jesus.
We need to set our values for our lives in Jesus in advance. If our minds and values are focused on Jesus and His will for our lives, the world will not seize the opportunities He has set out for us. The more He controls our minds and we allow Him to work in our broken lives; the more we are willing to experience life and peace.
The world contains much beauty, distractions, deceit, and many sources of temporary enjoyment, but He outshines them all. As we orient our spirit towards Jesus, He blesses us with the joy of His presence to build a firm foundation on which we shall build our lives in the world. Because we are His graciously forgiven and redeemed followers, He takes great delight in us for making Him the center focus in our lives in the world.
As a graduating senior, I am about to experience the world in ways outside of the shelter I have found comfortable for eighteen years. Multiple opportunities through school activities, church trips, and volunteerism have set one of the firm foundations I can use once I step out into the world.
After high school, there is so much more to learn as a young adult. My primary priority for this transition is to devote my focus on God so that He can direct my ways for the future past high school. Psalm 23:6 sticks out in my mind as I think about the unknown of what is to come. It reads, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”
For those experiencing transition like myself, allow yourself to be planted in His Word for trust in the future
Anna Gail Welch is a graduating senior who will be attending the University of Southern Mississippi this fall on a Lucky Day Scholarship. She is active in three area churches: Pinelake, Galloway and St. Philips.
