One of the biggest things that everyone, especially young people, deals with today is finding the direction of where they want to go in life. Things are coming at us so quickly that it is hard to find where I belong. High school can feel like it will never end, but as the end eventually draws nearer, there are feelings of joy and anxiety.
The “last-time” moments hit hard when they start to happen. Knowing that this is the last time I will see something I have poured all my energy into over the past four years brings tears to my eyes. I look back at the things I have accomplished and feel sad that I will not be able to do them again.
Those memories are not lost, however, and new memories will be formed in the coming years. I look back on my high school career proudly because I listened to the path God laid out for me.
It can be so easy to get lost in social media and try to stay “trendy,” but God is calling us to something greater than ourselves. There is a plan that he has for our lives, but we must choose to live the life he is guiding us towards. It feels like I have been guided throughout high school to find places and people I love. The world cannot truly fulfill our lives, only fleeting senses of joy and pleasure.
True happiness is found when you give yourself to God. He calls everyone to find their path and follow it. When we do that, life becomes something so amazingly beautiful that it fills everything we do. Life is filled with so much wonder and amazement that it is hard not to look at it and say, “This is good.”
Following God’s plan for you leads to a life that is fulfilling. It makes me get up every day excited to take on the challenges that lay before me. I know that no matter what comes my way, I can overcome and endure because I have God to help guide me where I need to be. The world will try to beat you down and make you give up, but staying on the path will bring joy into your life.
Sometimes, I think, “I don’t know what I am doing,” and “I am older — I should have all the answers.” I don’t have all the answers, and that is OK because overcoming these challenges helps us open up to God and ask for his help. God will never fail you.
Sometimes everything can feel hopeless and as if there is no real way out of this. The true reality is, however, that it is not hopeless because we have God by our side throughout our journey. God is the light at the end of the tunnel, the hope that things will be better. Sometimes it feels like that light is far away, and we can feel alone and trapped. That light is always there, just reaching out and wanting to bring us in.
God is the one constant in an everchanging and chaotic world. We have to be open to what God is calling us toward. The way he calls us comes in various ways, but he is advocating that everyone comes to him. Prayer and Mass are excellent ways to listen and ask God to guide you into the next phase of your life. God provides us the hope and the peace that is essential to guide us through life. Following God is not always easy — most of the time, it requires doing difficult things and standing up for what you believe. However, taking the route God has planned for you will always lead to a happier life. God is there every step of the way and has a plan for every person, we need to be open and listen to it.
Nicholas Connell is a recent graduate of Catholic High School in Little Rock. A member of Christ the King in Little Rock, he will be attending the University of Arkansas this fall.
