What Now?

"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us..."

Ephesians 3:20

Most of us will have been back to work, back to school, back to university - back to some sort of reality of life and work. Many of us are tempted to bemoan our lots and drag ourselves to our daily activities. It is a lot, a whole lot, after the Christmas/New Years Break. By now, the festivities may have worn off, or maybe you’re hanging on to any festive feeling for dear life. Whatever the case, time has moved on. That’s not a bad thing either. Now, it’s time for action.

The new year brings a whole host of feelings - newness, life, beginnings, change, anxiety, uncertainty, to name but a few. At the root of all these feelings is the base question - “What Now?”. The year 2020 is here, what now? It’s a new year, what now? Indeed, a new decade, WHAT NOW?! You may have plans for the year ahead, the new decade. You may be tempted to look back on the last decade and dwell on your achievements, or quite the opposite, in order to give some direction to your plans/goals for this year and even the whole decade. The good news is - you don’t have to. Your career, your relationships, your finances, holidays, children - the whole nine yards. You don’t need to have all the answers. You don’t need to know all the details. 

You may be thinking, “Woah, stop there...no plan?!”. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for having an idea of what you want from life. I’m a stickler for a good plan and yes you definitely need vision (some would say 20/20 vision…). You need to have milestones of what you would like to achieve and how you would like to get there. I absolutely love the notion of being an upwardly mobile, entrepreneurial, confident woman but many times life throws curveballs, then we ask “What Now?”. I am a naturally confident and ambitious woman - and I am proud of that. I love studying and making my way up the ladder of life but of late, I've had to take stock and God has placed me in a holding space, wondering "what now?". 

Often times I am encouraged by the many women, especially of colour, who are making moves - those with their own businesses, those that exude confidence and seem, at least on the outside, completely flawless. Perhaps we should change the narrative or remove it altogether and be still. Sign off and retreat. In the stillness of our quiet moments we can and should take the time to ask God - what now? After the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, it is time to be still. Completely still. Get acquainted with the silence - God speaks there. He’s made a promise and it is found in Ephesians 3:20. It says that He is “...able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us”. Let that sink in, immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine. That’s a lot of absolutes. All the wonderful images we can conjure up in our minds, they don’t cut it. They cannot measure up. He works in you to give you a bright future - one you can be confident in. I'm still learning this.

Leave your future up to God, give Him your uncertainties - be still and hear Him speaking to you, directing your next moves in this new year. So when you ask “what now?”. Ephesians 3:20 is what!