Stop Putting A Timeline On Life, Let Faith Guide The Way

What could I possibly know about love? What could I possibly know about life? Who am I to give any sort of advice when I still have an entire life of my own to live, mistakes to make, and lessons to learn?

We all have our own story; our own journey in finding love, happiness, and purpose in life. We all have a reason behind our “why” and how we envision our personal stories to unfold. But we all have one thing in common, without even realizing it, we put a timeline on everything. We put a timeline on finding love, finding our forever person. We put a timeline on finding true happiness and contentment. We put a timeline on grief and becoming a better human. We put a timeline on life, and we don’t even realize it. 

So, what could I possibly know about love? What could I possibly know about life? Who am I to give any sort of advice when I still have an entire life of my own to live, mistakes to make, and lessons to learn?

I know that love is overwhelming, exciting, and empowering. But, I also know that love can be confusing, challenging, and even painful or temporary. What I do know about love is that it can be learned from and shared with a million different things in this world; people, places, and passions, none of which have an expiration date. What I do know about love is although immense, it can be taken away from us so unexpectedly.

We know this, yet time after time we continue to put a timeline on love without having a little faith. We continue to put ourselves in a position to hurt and break in ways that could easily be healed if we opened our hearts to let faith guide the way.

Sometimes it’s the realization that two people who care so deeply for one another can somehow manage to be on two completely different paths in life. Sometimes it’s the end of an “almost-relationship”. Sometimes it’s something as simple as not being ready, and sometimes it’s the temporary love that hurts the most. But what we fail to realize every time our heart aches is that every love, whether temporary or forever, allows us to grow as a human in extraordinary ways. That in the end, we will be just fine. Because maybe, just maybe, God has a bigger plan for us; that each heartbreak or failure is something as simple as a stepping stone to becoming a better version of ourselves. Because maybe, just maybe, God knows of our personal timelines and monumental milestones, far better than we do ourselves. 

The same goes for life; we put timelines on milestones and beat ourselves up for not meeting our personal deadlines. If there is anything I have learned in my twenty-something years, it’s that nothing in life is promised. That’s what’s so tricky about it and probably why the majority of us always over-analyze and overthink everything we do; ultimately driving us to question everything that crosses our path.

What does this mean? Why is this happening? Why me? Why not me? What’s next?

It’s scary, not having a concrete roadmap of life to follow. But isn’t that what makes it so exciting? Isn’t that what makes life so much more worth living?

Think about it. Sit down and really, truly think about it.

We were brought into this world, not to hyperfocus on one person or thing, but to live out a passionate and unbroken life; to re-write society’s norms and create a captivating story, one that God has given us the opportunity to make our own, unashamedly and unapologetically. To see the world, to share our stories with people who are hurting, to make a difference, to open our hearts to wanting more. The reality is, everything that happens in love and life happens unexpectedly. So, why do we keep putting timelines on either one? Because maybe, just maybe, God has a bigger plan for us; that when we feel lost or alone, it’s because through faith and time we learn our way around it. We learn to embrace every opportunity to share the love in our heart and our personal stories with the world around us. 

Because maybe, just maybe, having a little faith will guide us towards the milestones that are destined to be ours. Maybe, just maybe, having a little faith will ultimately be our saving grace, allowing us to find our way.