Stop and Listen

Post-grad is a scary phrase for many of us. The only ones who don't feel a little nervous twinge are those students who a) have had their goals and plans in mind since they were 4 years old (lucky), b) are sloths and don't care at all and whose parents made them go get an education, or c) are planning to go to grad school anyway, so they have no huge decisions to make yet.

The other group consists of students like me who have FINALLY figured out what they want to do but aren't sure about how to go about doing it. The

re are so many options out there it is overwhelming. And then the doubts come. Am I good enough? Did I learn enough, am I prepared? Where should I be looking? What if I fail? What if I can't find a job and have to--gasp!--move back in with my PARENTS??

And then there's that especially annoying little voice in your head that says you need to get your act together before you graduate and figure everything out so you don't WASTE TIME.

Hurry, hurry, hurry! Take another step, move forward! You'll never get anywhere if

you don't walk. God only gave you one life, you know. So, go, go, go!

Well, shut up, little voice. I'm sick of being stressed out because of you.

And the thing is, I'm not so stressed out anymore. God gave me a gentle shake yesterday when I came across a quote by Bethany Dillon about her album "Stop and Listen." It inspired the following:

I’m not called

To be anything

To do anything

To go anywhere

To say something

To know the next step

To better myself

To step out

To rise above

To accomplish

I am called to stop

And listen.

Wonderfully simplistic, and wonderfully true. So often we define our waking moments by "The Call" on our lives: Are we where God wants us to be? Are we doing what He's called us to do? Are we fulfilling our mission?

The truth is that God wants us to stop spinning around in circles and instead just sit at His feet. THIS is the real Call on our lives, every day. Just listen. Read His Word. Commune with Him. Fellowship with His Holy Spirit. And the physical result of this is that "The Call" will fall into place. We will hear what He needs us to hear, be where He wants us to be, do what He wants us to do.

Just stop, and listen.