Late one Tuesday afternoon, I was grading papers at the Christian high school where I teach. I was reaching for the next essay on my stack of papers when I heard a knock on my classroom door. I looked up to see Mandie, a student in my senior honors literature class.

"Umm… Do you have a minute?" she asked.

"Definitely," I said, pulling a chair closer to my desk.

As soon as she sat down, Mandie jumped right into her problem. "I'm so frustrated," she began. "I'm trying to figure out which college to go to next fall. I just got this full-ride scholarship to the state university to study biochemistry, and my parents obviously like the idea of a free education. But I just don't know if biochemistry is really my thing."

Mandie paused, sighed heavily, and then continued.

"I've also been talking with some friends who are going to this Christian college in Michigan. They think it would be cool for us to all go together, but I don't know how I would actually pay for it.

"But then my older brother told me how it's really important to have a degree from a well-known college on my resumé. I guess I just don't know how to even go about finding God's will for me in all this."

After listening to Mandie, I sat quietly for a minute. "You know," I finally said, "a lot of people will give you a lot of different ideas about what's important in a college.

"All those things your friends and family said can be good, but if any one of those things becomes your main focus, it'll feel like you're losing sight of what's really important in life: seeing God's direction and recognizing what he considers to be success. So how do you know his will? To be honest, it's not so much where we go or what we do in life that matters; it's how we go about pleasing Christ in the everyday details of life."

As we talked, I shared two other things that God has faithfully taught me (and continues to teach me) when I've had to face the unknown:

1) God will reveal his plan for my life in his time as I relax and learn to trust him.

2) Real success—regardless of my school or job—is about honoring God in the details with joy, even in my smallest decisions (Ecclesiastes 12:13).

I explained that this means I need to really trust God to guide me in life, as Proverbs 16:9 says: "A man's heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps" (NKJV).

"So many times I thought I knew what God wanted," I told Mandie, "and because of those assumptions, I was caught off guard when he completely redirected my plans, like changing my first college choice to one way down on the list.

"In spite of the unknown, my job is to get busy doing what God gives me at the moment. For example, God has given me the desire to teach, but I haven't always had a classroom. So in high school and college I worked as a tutor. As I did that, God gave me the desire to honor Christ in the little things and to learn to use my gifts and abilities to serve others."

As we talked, I shared the story of one of my former students, Kate. Although she was interested in a nursing degree, Kate wasn't sure if that was God's plan for her life. If it was, she certainly didn't know which college to choose. So, as a junior in high school, Kate volunteered at a nursing home and helped care for a terminally ill aunt. Through those experiences and after a lot of prayer and discussion with her parents, Kate started looking at Bethel University, a Christian campus in Minnesota known for its nursing program.

"I just didn't feel comfortable with other colleges, even though they had great programs," Kate had told me. "I wanted a school with a Christian base."

As I watched Kate enroll and begin classes, her example showed me that finding God's will is all about balance—it's effort on our end with complete reliance on God for direction. Problems and uncertainty become clear when we simply do what's right before him. Later when I talked with Kate about her college choice, I saw three things in her approach to the college search. I shared these with Mandie:

1) Kate prayed for direction. In spite of the unknown, she relied on the Lord for her future, while recognizing the opportunities and desires he had already given her. She lived out Proverbs 16:3, which says, "Commit your works to the Lord and your thoughts will be established" (NKJV).

2) Kate trusted God's plan. She really believed the Lord would show her what to do because she trusted that "all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose" (Romans 8:28, NKJV). Even though Bethel was expensive (and she wasn't sure how she would pay for it at first), she applied for scholarships and worked part-time. She trusted that the Lord would guide her in making wise choices financially, and he did. In fact, Kate graduated debt-free.

3) Kate carried on. She didn't stress out over the unknown. Instead, she just went about the smaller things in life that had to be done, like showing up for her job on time and doing her homework. Kate knew that the details needed to be done to the best of her abilities. That called for excellence in the little things because Kate knew that she ultimately served Christ (Colossians 3:23–24).

Like I told Mandie, one thing that Kate said still sticks with me: "I've always been told that God designed a plan for my life. But as I learned how to pray and trust him, I began to see how the reality of those plans was actually taking place in my life."

As Mandie and I continued our discussion, I offered a few ideas for finding God's direction. "Think about the gifts and abilities God has given you," I said. "Even if you don't know which college to go to, we do know that God made science come easy for you. There are many things you could do with an interest in science—besides biochemistry—like teaching or becoming a pharmacist."

I also told Mandie that many students share her uncertainty about a career choice while they search for a college. One student I knew, Gabe, had no idea what job God was leading him toward. Like many students, Gabe was drawn to a Christian college because it focused on Christ-centered ministry and service. He chose The Master's College in Santa Clarita, California, because of its solid foundation in biblical studies. "Even though I kept switching my major from pastoral studies to counseling to teaching," he told me later, "the Bible classes I took really prepared me for working with my students."

Nearing the end of our conversation, I told Mandie about one of the most important things in a college search. I had recently come across a great book, Love Your God with All Your Mind. In it, author J.P. Moreland says that a Christian goes to college to discover his career, but he should also go to become an influence for Christ in our culture.

"Isn't that the whole point, Mandie?" I asked. "Sure you go to college to get a job, but it's amazing how that time impacts who you are as a person in Christ. It affects the way you think about life and how you treat other people."

"Huh," she said. "I guess I never really thought of it that way before."

I told Mandie that regardless of the college she attends or the career God has for her future, education is an opportunity for continued growth and, more importantly, to show others the glory of Christ."

As we wrapped up our conversation, I repeated my point about God's will. "You know, what ultimately matters as you seek God's will for your future is what you're doing right now. I know you're a daughter, a student, and an employee, and in all those things you have opportunities to honor Christ in the details. God uses the circumstances in our lives to mold us and shape us toward his plans and for his glory. Wherever that may be, it definitely includes the next four years of your life."

"So are you saying the college search isn't as intense as I'm making it?" Mandie asked.

"The college search is important," I answered. "But the details over which school God leads you to and how you'll pay for it—all of that—will start to open up as you're faithful in doing the little things right now, like keeping up with your classes and filling out college applications and applying for financial aid."

I then reached for a book I often recommend to my students. "R.C. Sproul wrote this book called Running the Race: A Graduate's Guide to Life," I said. "He has this great quote that I think will apply to your situation:

"'What is pleasing to God is not that much of a mystery: He has given us page after page of instructions as to what pleases him. And so the ultimate goal of our lives is to be faithful in serving him. There is much latitude in the many specific goals we can attain—in career, in family, in hobbies—while following the goals for a godly life as set forth in Scripture.'"

I closed the book, then said, "In the college search, it's not so much where you end up or what you do in life that matters. It's how you go about that process and how you ask God to lead you. To do that, take small steps and seek the Lord's guidance. Arm yourself with facts on your top college choices as you get advice from parents and guidance counselors. Keep your options open by applying early to different schools. But above all, remember that the Lord will direct your steps."