Moving Past “What Should Have Happened”

The second of the Elected Officials series, this post was written by student body Representative Evie Erickson from Mississippi.

I don’t know about you, but I often find myself living in a fantasy world. Like Dorothy’s Land of Oz, I so easily find myself trapped in a world of my own making. It is a place that many of you may live too. That world is the land of “what should have been.”

During the Covid-19 pandemic, it became easy to find ourselves dwelling on our regrets and stone dreams. Everyone can probably think of dozens of “taken away” things throughout the last few months. Covid-19 postponed trips, canceled beloved TeenPact events, and put significant life events on hold. Yes, it is sad and disappointing. However, through the disappointment, we must remember the importance of “focusing on where you are, not on where you aren’t.”

We should not find ourselves dwelling in sadness over where we “should have been.” In reality, we never would have been there in the first place. That was not the Lord’s intent for us on that day, hour, minute, or second. Scripture tells us that He had a better plan! Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” We can easily read this passage and think, “God promises me good!” But we must realize that God’s definition of good is much fuller than ours. This verse assures those of us who are in Christ that no matter how difficult our trials are, we have hope in Him. The Lord’s plans are for good and not evil! If only we could view our lives from the Lord’s perspective, we would see that our given circumstances are for a purpose!

For me, I realized the importance of focusing on where I am rather than where I am not when I finally realized that God had placed me here. If I spend this time of quarantine simply fantasizing about what fun things I am missing out on, I am missing what God has for me today. I miss out on the opportunity to glorify Him during hardships. I miss out on serving my family. I miss out on the joy that I could be daily dwelling in from Christ.

Christ is the only person that can satisfy. We attempt to make ourselves “happy” with other things besides Christ. Those things fall through, fail, or let us down, and the only eternal satisfaction is in Christ. Maybe these hardships serve to tear away the illusional, emerald-colored glasses we so easily view life through. Perhaps these trials will direct our hope towards God.

Focus on where you are, not on where you could have been. Do not live in that fake world of “what should have happened.” It is like living in the fantasy land of Oz. Pray that the Lord can help change your perspective, that you can view these crazy times through the lens of truth and reality. Pray that He will help you see and believe that His plans are better.

Editor’s Note: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official views of TeenPact Leadership Schools. To learn more about our Vision & Values, please visit teenpact.com/vision-values/.