God Doesn’t Have a Plan for Your Life (and That’s Good News)

The freedom and terror of divine open-endedness — and how to live without a map.

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He was seventeen and completely tied in knots about his future.

One of the smartest, kindest kids in our youth group was finishing high school. He loved Jesus. He wanted to do the right thing. But he was agonizing over which university to pick, which city to move to, whether he’d be “in God’s will” or not.

And when I say “agonizing,” I really mean agonizing.

It was late one evening, and we were sitting together on the back steps of the church. The youth room lights were still glowing inside, buzzing faintly through the stained glass. Out here, it was quiet. Cool night air. The sound of cars in the distance. And him — head in his hands, elbows on his knees — barely holding it together.

He’d been praying, fasting, journaling, and crying. He’d asked God for a sign, a dream, a word — anything. He was desperate for a clear answer, terrified he’d choose the wrong path and somehow derail his entire life.

I just sat beside him, listening. I remember staring out across the empty car park, thinking about all the times I’d felt the same way. Like God was holding some cosmic clipboard, and if I…