With graduation season blooming and hopes for the future beginning to bud, there is one major question on the minds of graduates of all shapes and sizes, “What next?” The world today has an exceptionally strong obsession with the future and what the days ahead of us will bring. This evokes all sorts of anxieties about our tomorrows that ultimately steal our todays from us. This fixation on direction and what might come next reminds me of a story an old friend of mine told me years ago.

A man who had longed to meet Mother Teresa was finally given the opportunity to do so while in India on a short mission. When the two finally met, the man pleaded with her to pray for him, saying, “Will you please pray for me? I need direction for my future.” Her response was one that took the breath from the man much like a punch in the stomach. She replied, “No.” To his bewilderment, she added, “You do not need direction—you need faith.”

Our obsession with knowing what the future holds has caused us, in many cases, to lose sight of the gift of faith. For those who are soon to be embarking on the new journey of post-graduate life and possible new careers, relationships, and families, I implore you with the words of Jesus, “Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?” (Matthew 6:27)  But instead, live your life in humble submission to God, walking in the joy set before you of faith in Him. Believe that He is guiding your footsteps and leading you according to His words through the apostle Paul in the book of Romans: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28)

Take time today to thank God for the gifts he has given you, including the gift of faith, and reflect on His promise to work for your good, even if you do not know what it is. He will open a door for you.  Knock on that door through prayer, and when it opens… walk through it.