Jada sat at her desk, staring at the blank paper before her. It was supposed to be an easy assignment—“Write about what you want to be when you grow up.” But as she looked at the empty page, she felt overwhelmed. Everyone around her seemed to have it all figured out: her friends talked about becoming nurses, lawyers, and artists, but Jada wasn’t sure. What if she made the wrong choice? What if she didn’t have a special purpose?
The uncertainty weighed on her. Every day at school, she felt the pressure to know her future and to have a plan. But deep down, Jada didn’t just want to pick any path—she wanted to follow the right path, the one God had planned for her. But how could she be sure what that was?
She prayed, asking God for guidance, but the answers didn’t come as quickly as she hoped. Instead, she was left with more questions. Was she supposed to be doing something she hadn’t thought of yet? Did God even have a plan for someone like her?
One Sunday, Destiny, Jada’s youth group leader, talked about Jeremiah 29:11: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” As she listened, something clicked. She realized that maybe her purpose wasn’t something she had to figure out all at once. Maybe God would reveal it to her step by step if she trusted and believed He had a plan and purpose for her life.
Jada started to see things differently. Instead of stressing about her future, she decided to focus on what she loved doing right now—helping others. She volunteered as an aide in the fourth grade Sunday School class at church. She joined her church’s outreach group, serving meals to the women's shelter and helping their children with homework and classwork. She even started mentoring younger girls in the Shine Bright Girls Group at school. The more she served, the more she felt God’s peace. It was like each act of kindness was a small piece of a bigger puzzle that God was putting together for her life.
While helping the children at the women’s shelter one day, Jada met a young girl, Aaliyah struggling with peer pressure and her academics in school. Jada realized how much she enjoyed encouraging and supporting others as they talked. It wasn’t a career decision, but it felt right. She felt alive, as if this was where God wanted her to be at this time in her life.
That night, she prayed again, but it wasn’t out of desperation this time. It was a prayer of gratitude. She thanked God for showing her that finding her purpose wasn’t about knowing every detail of her future—it was about trusting Him daily and being open to where He would lead her.
Jada didn’t have all the answers yet, but she didn’t feel lost anymore. She knew that God was guiding her, one step at a time. She realized that her purpose wasn’t just about what she would do in the future but about how she could live out her faith each day, right where she was, knowing God loved her and His plan and purpose for her life would be fulfilled in His time.
Jada smiled as she looked at that blank paper a few weeks later. This time, she confidently wrote: “I want to follow God’s plan for my life, wherever it leads. I know He has a purpose for me, and I’m excited to discover it.” Jada felt at peace with the unknown for the first time, trusting that God’s plan was perfect, even if she couldn’t see the whole picture yet.
Reflection Question:
How has Jada’s journey of trusting God’s plan challenged or inspired your understanding of purpose in your life? Reflect on a time when you had to trust God’s plan despite uncertainty.