In Grade 11, I was expected to attend presentations that would show me my post-secondary options. My French teacher recommended that my class attend the presentation for Glendon College, the bilingual campus of York University. However, I wanted to do a psychology program at another school. Why waste time investigating other schools which probably have nothing I was looking for?

But my teacher caught me trying to skip the presentation so I reluctantly attended it, still thinking it would be a waste of time. Today, I am a Glendon College student because my French teacher pushed me into a world I wasn’t willing to explore — but one that I began liking that very day.

Many of life’s most pleasant moments are the unusual ones. Following a different route while walking home. Taking up a new hobby. Trying a brand new sandwich at the local diner. Taking a step into the unknown could be the beginning of wonderful new opportunities.

Many Bible stories deal with the unknown.

The Lord said to Abraham, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you” (Genesis 12:1). Moses and the Israelites crossed a desert without knowing how they would survive or even the exact characteristics of Canaan. Philip was told to “Get up and go towards the south to the road that leads down from Jerusalem to Gaza” (Acts 8:26) without knowing that he would preach to an Ethiopian eunuch, who would in turn spread the good news himself. 

God always does one thing during these stories: He’s there. He never abandons the wanderer and always provides directions to the next destination, as well as manna and other means of nourishment. He makes sure that the traveller overcomes every obstacle, whether a large desert or a rushing river. At the end, the traveller always finds a land with much more food, water and more wondrous things than they could ever dream of.

So go on and journey. The plan you thought would never amount to anything might lead to wonderful adventures. The person at the bus stop might be your soon-to-be best friend. The unremarkable poster on the wall might be calling you to your next challenge. Although you don’t know it yet, the place that God has ready for you just behind the impenetrable fog might be better than any that you have ever seen.

(De Los Reyes, 18, is a French studies student at York University.)