Who Will I Be in the Next 10 Years?

This question crosses my mind once a month, if not once a week. Who will I be in the next 10 years? What will I have accomplished? What will I look like? Am I dating? Married? Do I have kids? Dogs? Am I working in pediatrics? Am I living how I want to live? It’s easy to let my mind wander into the deep dark (sometimes scary, but overall exciting) unknown future… especially when I’m locked up in my house social distancing like a COVID-conscious citizen.

In a time where so much is changing and everything seems out of our control, I’ve found one thing that is constant, and one thing that is under my control – my God, and my choices.

This month I finished a podcast series by The Porch called Roaring 20’s: The Decade of Decisions. This podcast opened my eyes to messages from God’s word that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. It exposed me to principles I will now adopt and use as guidance in this pivotal decade.

2020-2030 holds great potential. It will carry a lot of weight, shape who we are, and will be like no other decade in our lives. We get to choose how we want the rest of our lives to look and work toward that. Our day by day turns into months, which turns into years, which turns into the story of our lives.

The pastor mentions, and the psychologists they collaborated with agree, that 80% of the major decisions we make in our lives will happen by the time we’re 35 years old. I get the opportunity to make decisions over the next decade that are integral to the rest of my life. I get the opportunity to work toward the kind of spouse, mother, friend, and nurse I strive to be, and the way I want to live my life.

The Porch summarizes “Who You’ll be in Ten Years” by saying this: Each of us are headed down a path with the decisions we make today. The question we must ask ourselves is, “Where is this path going to take me?” In this message, we look at Galatians 6 to learn how to “sow good seeds” so we can reap the benefits in the decade to come.

I decided to share key points and my major takeaways from this first episode because I want others to understand (and more importantly take advantage of) this unique opportunity we have in our 20’s, or in this decade for my older readers. While we have this whole decade ahead of us, you and I can allow God to lead us into an amazing next 10 years, a decade thats effects will ripple for years to come.

The principle of decision making: You reap what you sow.

Known as the law of the harvest, this principle is noted in Galatians. “Don’t be deceived: God is not mocked. For whatever a person sows he will also reap, because the one who sows to his flesh will reap destruction from the flesh, but the one who sows to the Spirit will reap eternal life from the Spirit.” Galatians 6:7.

Our decisions, no matter how small, sow seeds in our lives that harvest themselves and reemerge down the road. It’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when. When we live how God says we should, we give ourselves the opportunity to gain contentment that worldly things can never truly give us. You know how it feels when you can physically feel your spirit lifting? Whether it be in response to something good, or a feeling that just comes to you in a moment, it’s like a wave of warmth and peace washing over you. This summer at camp I’ve found myself in a tsunami of these waves. There have been many small moments here in which I feel God working through me and working for me, affirming me that what I am investing my heart and soul into is what He planned for me. Whether it be sitting up on Church Mountain listening to my campers sing Reckless Love, paddle boarding at sunrise on a still lake in good company, or bearing my soul and working through insecurities with people I’ve grown close with, it’s in these moments I feel content. It’s in these moments I feel God.

When I stop and ask myself “What am I planting? Am I being intentional with what I’m building my life around?” I give myself the opportunity to redirect and re-center my focus, to make sure the cross hairs are landing on the One who is the strongest foundation to build on.

My decision-making principle determines my path, and I am now more conscious of paving it in the right direction. Yes, God is in ultimate control, but I control who I will be.

In this decade I will be better about thinking my decision through and being intentional with who and what I invest my time, energy, and heart into. I will invest more of myself in my relationship with God and make decisions according to the way He says to live, so that contentment is not something I feel rarely, but often.

The promise of doing good pays off.

“Let us not get tired of doing good, for we will reap at the proper time if we don’t give up. Therefore, as we have the opportunity, let us work for the good of all…” Galatians 6:9-10.

Sow good things and you’ll reap good things. Do good things and good things will happen to you. Be a good person and good people will come to you. I challenge myself daily to do at least one good thing for someone else. One act of kindness or one spirit lifted is a day well done. "It's worth it in this life and in the life to come. It's going to be worth it. Hold on to it. Continue to make the decisions in those moments where it is so difficult." Stick to doing good, and don’t dwell on the bad.

In this decade I will focus on going into the world and doing well, but more importantly going into the world and doing good.

It is too small of a thing to give your life to just yourself.

Money.

Status.

Idealized love.

These are too small of things to give a life to. Life is so big and full of potential. You do yourself, your people, and the world around you a disservice when you live for only yourself. What if we all chose to live for something bigger than ourselves? Imagine what a beautiful world we would live in. Our selfishness turns to selfless service when we live for others.

Let that be your story. Whatever your “bigger” is, choose to live for that. I choose to live for what is bigger than myself - my God, OUR God. I choose to give myself to the things I was made for by allowing God to use me during my life. I’m learning more about how Jesus invites us to do life with Him, and how going all in with Him means accepting His invitations with blind faith.

In this decade, I will pursue long faithfulness in my work and relationships. I will stick to my commitments and ride the ebbs and flows until God calls me elsewhere. I will lean in and listen when He tells me that my timing is off, because it’s His timing that matters. I will accept the fact that I don’t have it all together, no matter how organized my planner/google calendar may be. I can’t be who I want to be, or do the things I want to do, without God leading me there.

To end, I’ve got good news. “The good news is, the God who's there loves you and is crazy about you. He hasn't left you or me to navigate it on our own, and he wants you to have 20’s that roar in every way you could imagine.” I’ll leave you with the ending prayer that resonated with me.

“Father, I pray for friends in here who feel like they're too far, like they're damaged goods, like they'll never be able to have the story they hoped for, who are not even sure you are a God whose Word and love and life was given for them; that you would meet them where they are right now and the Spirit of God would overwhelm and flood their hearts, as you say it does in Romans 5, and you would give them a vision for their life that's bigger than anything they've ever dreamed.

Father, I pray for men and women in this room who are going to run, and they're not going to listen, and they're not going to use their 20s, and you love them. There are parts of all of our hearts that want to run. Would you help us? Would you win? Would you be greater and stronger in those moments as we surrender to you?

I thank you, God, for the men and women who are sowing seeds of life. Would you multiply those seeds as you do when we sow them, and would you spread a movement of their kind across our country of young adults surrendered and walking surrendered to you day by day? In Christ's name, amen.”

Next week I’ll be covering my takeaways from “Show Me Your Friends and I’ll Show You Your Future, the second episode in the series. In the meantime, I encourage you to listen to this podcast and soak in the message for yourself.

XOXO, Abby

https://www.theporch.live/messages/7128