facing the unknown, a message for students.

I remember as a little girl I would often become impatient when I was anticipating exciting things. My family went on many road trips growing up, and my favorite were the 8 hour long trips to my cousin’s house. Not because the trip was so long, but because I was thrilled to see my cousin. I was always on the edge of my car seat waiting for the ride to be over. I would constantly ask “how much longer” as I was forced to endure an eternity. Just like a student spacing out during a boring lecture, I would often space out and let my thoughts take control as I endured the car ride. At a time such as this we are stuck with a blind fold over our faces. We don’t know what to expect and we certainly can’t see ahead. In anticipating the future we are forced to wait as if we were in a long car ride. In the midst of this pause, where are your thoughts taking you?

Personally, my thoughts have been met with lots of anxiety. As I graduate high school this year I’ve worried over how I will adjust to a new year in college during such a crisis or even if I’ll be able to start a much anticipated year on campus. I know that these feelings are not unique to me, and that the whole world is trying to adjust to life during a pandemic. It’s hard to face an unknown future, but how do we? Conquer what you can, and let go of what you can’t. There are some problems you may be able to fix. For example, if you face unemployment you can try to seek a freelance job. Or if you are uncertain about the school year ahead you can contact your counselor to relieve some of those questions. But for the things that we can’t fully grasp like those “unknowns”, we don’t have a choice but to let it go. We may stress over how we will survive with online classes, or become frustrated over missing out on school events, but these are things that are out of our control. While stress is a normal part of life we shouldn’t forget that we are all stressed together. Everyone is dealing with this pandemic and are exposed to the same anxieties about the future. Part of our unity is in knowing that we are all missing out on the same opportunities, worried about the same future, and frustrated about the same circumstances. Yet, we don’t have to let these feelings overwhelm us and cause distress.

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world”

John 16:33

This verse has been a reminder to me that the weight of these unknown times are not on our shoulders, and that the future has already been overcome. When we are stuck at home in our thoughts it’s important to realize that we can’t lean on our own understanding. This is why we must let go of what we can’t conquer. While we can’t see the future with certainty, we never have. Nobody has ever known what tomorrow holds, whether in the midst of a pandemic or not. The one thing we do know for certain is that we will not be defeated because our future is in good hands.