On Sunday I watched a service from my home church online since I am in college. There was a guest speaker who I wish I could remember the name of, but her words caught onto my heart. I truly believe that God was using her as a vessel in order to get to me.

The past month has been full of a series of emotional ups and downs in my life, all stemming from being worrisome and anxious about what lies ahead — my destiny. I have constantly been battling spiritually and emotionally with myself because I am uncertain about my life, about my chosen career, about where I am going, about everything.

I know that I will be fine. I know that I am “so young” and that “I do not need to figure it out right now.” I know that I “need to not worry” and just “enjoy the rest of my time in college,” but something keeps pushing me back and forth. The Devil is playing with my mind. He tells me to compare myself to others and wonder if I am making the right decisions. He tells me to try to figure things out on my own and not ask for help from God.

However, human capability can only go so far. The only one who can get you through your struggles is God, and the more that you try to rely on yourself, the worse off you will be. The enemy wants you to rely on yourself. That is why you are crying and hurt and in pain now, but you are taking all matters in your own hands. I know this because I have been doing it, and I wouldn’t be writing this if I didn’t think that others needed to hear.

So, this specific sermon really put things into perspective for me and made all the difference, and I want to share it with you.

Peter is one of Jesus’ twelve disciples, but that in no way means that he has it all figured out. He goes to deny Jesus three times when he is afraid that his destiny will be the same as the Son of God — being persecuted, beat and sentenced to death. He is afraid, like many of us are in our lives, when uncertainty arrives.

In Matthew 14:22-32, Peter is afraid when he sees Jesus and tells him [Jesus] to instruct him [Peter] to walk on water so that he knows that he is the Son of God. When Jesus calls out to Peter, he gets distracted. Jesus is doing something that Peter cannot comprehend, and he decides to focus on the rigid storm. Peter begins sink and cry out for help, but Jesus is right alongside him and grabs him immediately.

This story might not seem relatable in the sense of what specifically is happening. You might think, “How does this relate to my life because we are living in a different time?” The bible’s lessons, no matter how outdated or out of time they might appear, still relate now.

First, this situation teaches us to speak up. Peter was unsure, and he had no idea what to do. He asked, “God, is that you?” We have to do that in our lives. We have to, within every situation, acknowledge God. We cannot sit around complaining if we have not even spoken to God about what we are worried about. Some might believe that their problems do not concern God or that they are not important, but God cares about our well-being, and he wants to know what we are dealing with.

Second, we have to stay focused. Peter took his eyes off of Jesus, and that allowed him to fall. We worry too much about what everyone else is doing around us. You look at someone and think, “I want to be like them.” There is only one you, and no matter how hard you try, you will never be a true representation of someone else. We all have a significant purpose in life, and the more that you try to be like someone else or compare yourself, the further from your destiny you will be.

Lastly, shout to God for help. We are not going to have it all figured out, and we are definitely going to make mistakes. Peter is a prime example of this. He takes his eyes off of Jesus, and he begins to fall, but the great thing about God is that he is right there to pick you up.

If you are worried about your destiny and where you are supposed to be. If you constantly trying to do everything on your own. If you are working so hard, but nothing seems right. Go to God. He is the only thing that I will ever bet my life on. I am not even close to having it all figured out. I am mainly writing this for myself, but I am also writing this for those who are struggling right now. I guarantee that if you follow God, you will make it.

-Jas