The Best Is Yet To Come.

Late last night, I got an exciting email about an opportunity for my third year of law school that I have never even thought about or expected to have. I'm not sure if I will move forward with it or not, but just the same, it made me filled with anticipation for what next year--and beyond, the future, the great unknown--will hold.

I'm a huge planner, and so often I honestly catch myself thinking that I've probably contemplated pretty much every angle my life could possibly take--as far as how my career trajectory will go, what my family will look like, where I might live, etc. I know it's crazy, but I sometimes feel like there's no way the future will surprise me THAT much, because surely I've considered most of the paths my life will logically follow. But then God gently reminds my heart that I haven't seen anything yet. You can't out-plan God. You can't out-dream Him. You can't get to a place of such stable expectancy that He is no longer able to surprise you!

If I would have known ten years ago everything that was going to happen to me in the next decade, I would never have been able to handle the weight of that knowledge. That's why not knowing is such a blessing. And even though I didn't know ahead of time, God took me into each day and gave me what I needed, when I needed it. There are things that I've done in the last few years that I never would have thought I could do, until the time came, and I found that I had the strength to move forward. (For example, I was just reminiscing this morning about my first day in this city, when I was panicking about everything, got in a fender bender at a Zaxby's, and was about to pack my bags then and there and quit law school because I didn't think I could handle it. I'm so glad I didn't because I have been so blessed here).

Sometimes I feel fearful of the next couple of years, particularly in the job realm. My thoughts frequently look like this: Oh my goodness will I get a job if so where will it be what if I hate my job will I have enough money how will I repay my student loans I'm freaking out!! But every step of the way, God is there. Helping me, holding my hand, teaching me that He is the same yesterday, today, tomorrow, and forever. Whispering to me that I need to keep living in wide-eyed wonder, because the best is yet to come. My future holds amazing possibilities that I haven't even thought about yet. Yours holds potential that's beyond what you can imagine now. Don't even try to imagine it all, because there will still be surprises. Embrace that spiritual adrenaline rush once in awhile--God delights to surprise you with blessings you never imagined could be yours!

Here's what I want to do in the next ten years: Write blogs and e-books and regular books and inspire people through my writing to a closer, more passionate, life-changing relationship with Jesus Christ. Practice law and help people in my career. Work in legal education and administration. Travel travel travel. Live in new cities. Become debt-free. Buy my own home. See the Northern Lights, sunrise over the Grand Canyon, and the Holy Land. Those plans make me really excited but . . . God's plans for my life are still better. And the same is true for you. Get on the roller coaster and hold on for the ride, because I know one thing: it's going to be exciting.