In Case You Were Wandering | Read an Excerpt

Where are you going right now? Where will you be in twenty years? In five? In one month? How do you answer those big questions like “What am I going to do with my life? Who should I marry? Does God have a plan for me? If so, how do I find it?”

In Case You Were Wandering offers points of reference for young adults to find answers to these questions and others like them. Using practical Christian principles, this book equips twentysomethings to discover purpose in their lives and to stay in pursuit of that purpose.

In Case You Were Wandering Book Excerpt

On May 14, 1804, the Corps of Discovery departed Camp Dubois under the direction of Captain William Clark. One week later, the party left Saint Charles, Missouri, having joined with its second leader, Captain Meriwether Lewis. Lewis was twenty-nine years old; Clark, thirty-three. They had been commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson to explore the Louisiana Purchase, to establish trade and US sovereignty over the native peoples along the Missouri River, and to establish a US claim of “Discovery” to the Pacific Northwest.

Over the course of their journey they followed the Missouri River to its headwaters, crossed the Continental Divide, canoed the Clearwater, Snake, and Columbia rivers, and eventually touched foot on the shores of the Pacific Ocean.

Discovery is the process of learning, understanding, and mapping one’s environment.

On March 23, 1806, the Corps of Discovery turned around and headed for home. They arrived in St. Louis on September 23, 1806, after two years, four months, and ten days of exploring. They accomplished their goals of reaching the Pacific and mapping the land to establish a legal presence. They further established trade relations with more than twenty-four indigenous nations. They survived two harsh winters, challenges with some aggressive tribes, and difficulties with terrain and provision. The adventure of the Corps of Discovery was a significant historical accomplishment, perhaps because the group’s leaders, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, embraced discovery yet never lost sight of their ultimate goals.

Discovery is the process of learning, understanding, and mapping one’s environment. Discovery has a destination, an end goal that gives the process direction. Discovery enjoys the experiences along the journey but does so without losing sight of the destination. Explorers practice discovery, and Lewis and Clark were explorers.

Discovery enjoys the experiences along the journey but does so without losing sight of the destination. Click To Tweet

We Cannot Afford to Lose This Generation

Unfortunately, too many aspects of our current culture encourage this generation to get lost in the process and forget about their endpoint. This culture does too much to promote aimlessness and dilute true discovery. We’ve lost the distinction between wanderers and explorers. In fact, it can be argued this cultural phenomenon has extended the time that twentysomethings spend in the season of discovery. Some young adults are unable to recognize and pursue a life destination and are left wandering aimlessly. Thankfully, not all wanderers meet a sad demise like Chris McCandless; however, too many squander their life’s incredible promise. While this is certainly tragic in a natural sense, it becomes starkly shameful in the spiritual sense. The kingdom of God cannot afford to lose the rich, inspiring talents harbored within the lives of this generation.

Discovery has a destination, an end goal that gives the process direction.

In response, this book’s goal is to assist Christian twentysomethings to embrace the process of life-discovery without getting lost within that same process. Personal growth, understanding distinct strengths and weaknesses, and recognizing individual interests and passions are a natural part of the human life-cycle. Yet, this is just one stage of the life-cycle. This is a process—not a destination within itself. Christians are called to pass through this time of discovery on their way to a God-ordained destination. We are encouraged to recognize and develop the many excellent gifts God has given each of us in a manner that keeps our destination before us. Our discovery should propel us to our ultimate goal. To do so, we must discover our own values and then discern which aspects of discovery enhance those values, and which aspects would instead lead to aimlessness. We are called to be explorers.