Discovering What’s Next

If you’re like me you’re in transition.

The kids have all grown and gone and it’s back to just the two of you.

Now what?

As I sat at my desk one day, sad my “baby” had moved 1800 miles away I thought how we had prayed for – and been excited about – the future the Lord had for each of our three kids.

Over the years, I had repeatedly reminded myself they really belong to the Lord, not me.  God has graciously given them to us to steward for a short time.

My mindset had to swivel from director of their every move to cheerleader on the sidelines.

They are now their own person and we get to love and support them in this new adventure.

We will always be their parents, but it’s time to set them free.  Even if that means the Lord moves them physically far away.

For years we dreamed how the Lord would use them in the world and the lives of others.

We were already so proud of each one of them and this seemed like icing on the cake.

Reality Check

So as I sat there in my pool of sadness and self-pity, I heard the Holy Spirit say to my heart “What about being excited about what I’m going to do in YOUR future?”

Shocked and convicted, I suddenly sat up shaking off my self pity.

“Uh… oh.  You’re right Lord, sorry”, I thought sheepishly as I tucked my “whining” tail.

What was I thinking?

Was God only the God of my kids’ futures and not mine?

How many more years did I have left?  How many years do any of us have?

None of us know.

So instead of moping, I needed to get busy doing the Lord’s work.

But what?  What was I to do now?  I had the blessing of the choice.

Not that I wasn’t doing other things while the kids were at home.  As we all know, running a household is a big job!

What’s Next?

How do we step into the exciting future the Lord has for each of us?

It can be similar to starting all over again when we were in our twenties trying to figure everything out.

Trial and error.

Starting with what we know and going from there.

By now, most of us have an idea of our strengths – those things we enjoy and are reasonably good at.

But what about outside of that?

Good Gifts

I just read Jesus’ words this morning:

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock and it will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened” (Matthew 7:7-8 ESV).

Did you notice all the verbs – action words.

There are times our desires are answered by prayer alone, but many times we must take action.

Could the Lord drop everything in our laps without any effort on our part?  Of course!  And sometimes He does.

But sometimes He wants us to have the joy of discovery.  Just as we as parents enjoy the wide-eyed wonder of our children as they discover something new.

Image by Michael Schwarzenberger from Pixabay

Let’s step out in faith and try new things.  I’m sure it will be made clear what we are NOT to do.

Action

Will you join me?

Let’s encourage each other as we ask, seek and knock for what God has next for us.

My tendency is to see this as a desperate plea – begging and groveling – but it’s not.

God loves to give good gifts to His children.  In Matthew 7:11 Jesus goes on to say, “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!”

As we excitedly anticipate sharing our kid’s joy as they open gifts carefully selected just for them, our Heavenly Father is doing the same waiting for us to open the “good gifts” of our future He specifically curated for each of us.

I’m so excited!  It will be worth the effort.

After all, no one ever said on their deathbed, “I wish I wouldn’t have had so much fun!”

What is the Lord drawing you to in this season of your life?

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