One of many struggles of the human condition is dissatisfaction. We know that we’ve been blessed in so many ways—with James 1:17 even telling us that every good thing is a direct gift from God. And yet we often convince ourselves that what we’ve been given in the present isn’t enough.
It’s a temptation in all stages of life, but college is a time when it can really start to take hold. You’re suddenly around so many people who’ve been blessed in different ways, and it’s natural to compare.
Comparison isn’t just limited to yourself vs. others, either. You can compare different aspects of your own life, too. You still feel like you have your whole life ahead of you, and you’ve lived enough to realize that there are good times behind you.
I’m finding that it’s easy for me to struggle with both of these.
I’m eager to skip ahead to exciting things like having my own home and starting my career—and at the same time I’m looking back wistfully on friends who’ve moved away and experiences I can’t repeat. But in all of this, there’s a lesson that I’m learning. It’s much easier to say than to apply, but: God has placed me in this stage of my life for a reason.
A biblical example that springs to mind is that of Esther. She probably would’ve much preferred living a simple life in her homeland to the political intrigue of the king’s court, but her cousin Mordecai could see that she’d been placed in that position “for such a time as this.” Esther couldn’t see God’s plan in the moment, but God used her to save the Jewish population of the entire kingdom!
My life might not be as dramatic as Esther’s, but God’s character is still the same. He sees the whole picture when we never could and uses our lives and situations—no matter what they are—to distribute his grace to ourselves and those around us.
I can see how God has worked past things for good in biblical history as well as in my own life, reminding me that I can trust him with the present too. While my human nature tempts me to always look outward for more, God promises me that he’s working his plan right where I’m at. I’m thankful for God’s promise, the ways I’ve seen it fulfilled during my time here, and for the people who God has used to make this impactful season of my life at FLBC possible.
Thank you all for your serving, giving, and prayer!
—Will Thorson, FLBC sophomore
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