“I don’t know what I’m doing in this course,” a friend said, breaking down in front of me.

It wasn’t his first choice. He didn’t even like what he studied. But his grades meant he couldn’t make it anywhere else. Six months in and he was struggling to cope. One year on, he decided to switch course … only to find every door shut.

Deciding on a course is a huge decision for students. Will I enjoy it? Will I be able to excel? Will I have a good career pathway after I graduate? These questions plague us before we enter university.

And should things go awry, these doubts continue to haunt us. Maybe I should have taken that other course. Maybe I would have done better there. Maybe I would be happier.

This often translates into years of feeling purposeless. Misery. Bitterness. Resentment. God, why am I here?

YOU ARE HERE FOR A PURPOSE

Some of us aren’t sure if we are in the “correct” course. As students, we’re faced with a surfeit of choices, all of which are supposed to determine the outcome of the Rest. Of. Our. Lives. Better not make the wrong move.

Our interests and strengths serve as our indicators. We have been given different giftings and there is a reason behind our aptitudes: So that we can have greater purpose and passion in the things we do. What are you good at? What gets your blood pumping?

Maybe the purpose of us being right where we are is not to make us happy and comfortable. Maybe it is to grow us in our character and in our faith so that we will be prepared for future trials. A smooth sea never made a skilful sailor.

For those who have yet to find their passion, remember that you don’t have to nail everything at once, so early in life. Some things you’ll discover as we go along.

1 Peter 4:10 tells us that we all have a gift to bring to the world. What is yours?

YOU ARE HERE BECAUSE HE PLACED YOU HERE

University is a battlefield. As we get slotted into bell curves and find ourselves trampled on in the competitive crush, we start to have doubts. Am I really suited for this? Is there is a better candidate to stand in this gap?

If you read the parable of the three servants, when the master questioned the last servant about his lack of fruitfulness in: “I was afraid and went and hid your money in the ground. Here is your bag of gold.” (Matthew 25:25)

There are times we feel inadequate, insecure and fearful. We question if we are doing enough. We question if we are enough. And so we bury our talents. We can’t fail if we don’t do anything, right?

But our role is not to measure success. Our role is just to be faithful to what we have been given. So don’t compare yourself to others. Your validation doesn’t come from how you match up against others. Your validation comes from God alone.

YOU ARE STILL HERE BECAUSE YOU NEED TO BE

To someone who is stuck in a course that he does not like, cannot excel in and cannot escape from, there is one painful possibility – that maybe God is not opening up new doors for you because you are right where He wants you to be. But, why?

Times like these, it can feel like God is against us, not for us. But God is not a genie in a lamp. He is not here to grant our wishes; He is here to mould us in our character, because that is what is best for us (James 1:4). Maybe the purpose of us being right where we are is not to make us happy and comfortable. Maybe it is to grow us in our character and in our faith so that we will be prepared for future trials. A smooth sea never made a skilful sailor.

But even while we struggle to understand what is going on, we can still remain faithful to what has been given. And even if you are unable to pursue your dreams in university, there are other ways to work on them. There are electives you can take, workshops you can sign up for. Don’t just dream on: Wake up and work hard for it!

YOU DON’T NEED TO COMPLETELY KNOW WHY

For most of my secondary school years, I had my eyes set on taking up a specific course at a specific poly. I was so focused on it that when it was time to apply for tertiary education, I had no idea what to fill in for the rest of the blanks. When my eyes fell on a course description that sounded similar to what I wanted, I decided to write that down as my second choice.

I got it instead.

I was admitted to a course which I knew little about; it sounded like a recipe for disaster. Most people I guess would have tried to appeal the posting. But though I was then an unchurched baby Christian, I somehow chose to pray: “God, I’ll trust You that this is where You want me to be.”

What others would have seen as being offered leftovers turned out to be the biggest turning point of my life.

The 3 years I spent in that course turned out to be the best years of my education. I made good friends, I learnt new things, I enjoyed myself thoroughly. But most importantly, it was through the course that I met a friend who brought me to her church. I found a spiritual family to root myself in. I grew in my faith and my walk with God.

At the end of those 3 years, I decided to fully commit my life to Christ and declare it in the waters of baptism.

What others would have seen as being offered leftovers turned out to be the biggest turning point of my life.

There is so much pressure on us to have a plan for our lives, to know where we’re headed. But the truth is, most of us don’t – and even if we do, life often doesn’t go according to plan.

But God knows better. I didn’t know what I was in for, But God did. Looking back, I can only conclude that we don’t need to make complete sense of What is going on.

We just need to trust the Who who holds our future.