keeping pace

I had a really good impromtu conversation with a friend last night while driving through the endless state that is Indiana. Seriously...perhaps Nebraska or Kansas are more boring, but I don't have to drive through those states on a semi-regular basis. I wish that I had one of those transmitters from Star Trek and Scottie could beam me up from Chicago to Cincinnati without all the hassle of Indiana. Anyway, the conversation was mostly about her recent college graduation. I asked her the dreaded question: so what are you planning on doing now? The harsh reality of that question is often very overwhelming for a recent grad. You have spent years and countless hours in school and now...where do you go from here? Often times there is that disillusionment process where one realizes the world is not as you thought it would be. I know that I had that panic. So to stall from reality I decided to hop into grad school right away. Which wouldn't have been a bad idea if I had really known what I was signing myself up for in the first place. After that short but painful experience of realizing that I had made a mistake, I faced the same daunting quetion: so what are you planning on doing now?
For the longest time I felt as though I had to make something up to satisfy the curiousity of the people who were asking me. Well, after taking some time off I plan on going to such and such prestigious university or I plan on moving to such and such exotic location or I plan on solving world hunger or something of the like. I felt this consuming need to feel as though I was keeping pace with the world around me. Even though I had left my grad program I was going to land on my feet in spectacular fashion and continue running this race towards success. I would not stumble, or atleast I wouldn't let those around me know that I really needed a break. I would keep running, keep pushing myself until I really did catch up with everyone else involved in this imaginary social standings race.
However, after about six months of making stuff up I decided it wasn't worth it. I began to answer people honestly that I really didn't know what I was doing next. If they were still curious I would tell them about grad school and my interestes and hopes for the future. But I came to learn an important lesson. This "race" to which I refer does exist in the professional world, but it's not that important. You can change your mind and the world does not fall apart. You can be unsure and realize that you are not alone...that most people are unsure. If you are a Christian, than the rules and standards of this world don't apply to you. God doesn't care if you are "on pace" with your life plan, or even that you have a life plan. God only cares that you serve him and that you are seeking him in everything that you do. If that happens to be making coffee (like me) than do that until you hear a different call.
I guess this was part me venting and part me attempting to encourage those around who feel the pressure of success weighing upon them to let it go. Keeping pace is useless if that pace isn't God's.