Editor's Note Asking the same question By Darcy L. Fargo

June 14, 2023

“What’s next?”

I remember being a high school senior and later a college senior. I remember being asked that question eleventy billion times.

When I graduated high school and prepared for college, I thought I had a response to that question.

“I’m attending Daemen College and majoring in English for secondary education. I’m going to be an English teacher.”

As you are already aware, I was incorrect. I didn’t make it through the first three weeks of an education class before I very clearly discerned that I was not, in fact, called to be a teacher. I ended up with a degree in History/Government with a major in English and no plans for what to do with that education.

While I’ve grown a lot of my skills since then, my ability to plan and predict my future hasn’t improved one bit.
I’ve said it many times: When I think I have a good, concrete plan for my life, I’m pretty sure God says, “oh yeah? Watch me.”

In every single one of those instances, I was devastated. I get attached to my plans. I get attached to the vision I have of my life and/or my future. I sometimes grieved the loss of those plans and visions.

Looking back, though, it’s abundantly clear God’s plan has been better than mine. I can think of countless examples of times the destruction of my plans resulted in a better outcome than I envisioned.

I pray for members of the class of 2023, both high school and college, as they step into the next chapters in their lives. I pray they see their futures through the lens of Christ and allow him to guide them. I pray they let God into their hearts and into their plans as they ask themselves and are asked by others that same question: “What’s next?”