By Virginia Frances Teel
Class of 2023
“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” Psalm 119:105
It is hard to come to terms with the idea that on this side of eternity, we will never experience the fullness of light. We often long for God to illuminate the rest of our time on earth and in doing so, reveal our future so we don’t have to wait for it in the dark. While it is frustrating, and even scary at times, to not know what the future holds, I am beginning to view it more as an invitation. God is graciously extending to us the opportunity to rely on Him each and every day.
While I am usually turning to Psalm 119 to remind myself of God’s faithfulness in the uncertainty of the future, I want to take a moment to turn around, look back on that now very bright path, and bring to light the beauty of this past season.
When I was beginning the Charlotte Fellows Program roughly eight months ago, I was deeply desiring for God to show me how the coming months, and even years, would unfold. I knew it would be a wonderful program, but I still had a yearning to prematurely know everything about the future. I battle with this longing every day. However, reflecting on the goodness and faithfulness of Christ during these past few months of Fellows exposes the reality that He can and will provide in ways that surpass all understanding. Furthermore, it reveals that He will work through our lives to accomplish more than we could ever ask or think (Philippians 4:7, Ephesians 3:20).
I can now clearly see His faithfulness in the strangers that willingly walked into sharing the most wonderful and vulnerable pieces of their stories with us at Roundtable, mentors that have lovingly challenged me, employers that have extended undeserved grace, nonprofit employees who have witnessed and acted upon the needs of their city, teachers that have poured out their hearts to the children in their classrooms, and countless individuals that have sacrificed their time, attention, and resources to help those around them succeed.
I treasure the reality that God does indeed provide light in a space that is complete darkness to us. Often, it takes reflecting on the past to remind us of His promises for the future. It might not be all the light that we think we need, but it is surely enough for where He is taking us
“Let’s rejoice in the little light we carry and not ask for the great beam that would take all shadows away.” - Henri Nouwen
Inspired by the Henri Nouwen Society and their publication titled, "Enough Light for the Next Step." Please reference for further encouragement: https://henrinouwen.org/meditations/enough-light-for-the-next-step/