As I attended Messiah's graduation this May, I remembered mine like it was yesterday - yet it also seemed like so long since I had walked across that stage. And as I wrote out this month's check for rent, I paused - it was exactly a year ago that I had begun this chapter of my life on 1527 Derry St. It made me ponder - what had I learned? How had I changed? What would I tell this year's seniors if I had the chance? So here are a few nuggets of wisdom, from my experience to yours...
There is such pressure as you graduate to "figure out what I'm doing with my life". The constant questions from well-meaning relatives and friends can be discouraging if you don't have a "good" answer. When I graduated I had ideas about what I wanted to do, but spent a whole summer unsure about what would be next. There will undoubtedly be times of uncertainty, of feeling "stuck", of knowing you have so much to give but having no outlet. They're hard, but they will pass sooner or later. I could not have imagined the ways that God provided for fulfilling and stretching work. Things will work out, although usually in ways that you never expected. That's how God rolls, it seems - God is full of surprises. God also likes to test our patience - but God will come through.
Whether you are looking for a job or have found one, know that there will never be the "perfect job" - but you can get pretty darn close. Every position will have its joys and frustrations, just as the skill-set you bring to it will have both strengths and weaknesses. But each experience for however long offers a great opportunity to learn more about what you want to do, what you love and are good at, and how you can grow and be better.
And you know what? You don't have to have it all figured out. I'm becoming more and more convinced that no one really does. Whether you're fresh out of college or in your 30s married with kids there are still transitions, there are still questions of what's going to happen next, of where to go and what to do, of how you can better live out your ideals and your vocation. The questions never end, but if you can find the peace to live in those questions, you'll be ok.
And I think it's pretty rare that we get clear answers. Maybe you will suddenly know for sure, "Ahah, this is what I will do for the rest of my life." But that's not the common experience. Rather, I think we are given clues along the way that point us towards what could be next. I've learned to pay attention to the things that energize and excite me, the things that fill me with joy, and the things that make me angry. All of these are clues to where my deep passions lie and when my work intersects with them.
I've also learned that changing the world looks different than I used to think. I imagined making sweeping changes in government policy, and spurring significant neighborhood revitalization. Now I see things differently. I haven't given up on my ideals, but I have learned in trying to live them out that change requires much time and commitment - it does not come quickly or easily. It requires humility in recognizing how much you have to learn, but also courage to go and try something even if you don't have it all figured out.
More often than not, living out your ideals will look very ordinary and you may feel like you're not doing very much. But in being counter-cultural day-in and day-out, you are extraordinary. And as a community of people - in your neighborhood and around the world - doing many small, ordinary things, little by little we are changing the world. It may not be as grand as you imagine, but it does matter.
To do any of this, though, community is essential. Messiah students, you'll chuckle, but it's really true. You can't live out your ideals alone. It's hard, doing community as imperfect people in a messy world. But it is totally and completely worth it - and if you don't have a good community, nothing much else matters. As much as jobs and other things have transitioned over the past year for me, it has been my community (near and far) which has remained constant. Find people who share your ideals, who will stand beside you, laugh and cry with you, live out your dreams with you, and sit with you in the questions.
You're gonna be alright :) Life on the other side is good.
