Not Made for a Cookie-Cutter Life

Photo Credit: (c) Mikella Hammonds

What's Next? 

“So what are your plans now that you have graduated?”

I get this question a lot, and I dread it every time because my answer is always the same...I don’t know.

I pray often about God’s will for my life, asking Him to lead me down the right path.

What is your “right path”? Do you know what it is? Are you on it, or do you feel like you mistakenly passed it up?

Sometimes, I feel as if I’m not on a path, like I’m lost in the woods. At times, it feels as if everyone else has moved on to their next phase in life, and I’m still stuck in the same place.

Are you feeling the same way? Read Jeremiah 29:11. This is my favorite verse especially right now considering the season of life I am in.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

God has Plans for Me. 

I may not know what they are yet, but I just have to trust that my life, my dreams, and my future are safe in His hands. This applies to you as well. He has a specific plan for every single person, and it’s not what some would call a “cookie-cutter” plan. It’s personal.

It fits you and no one else.

This is something that I have to keep in mind when I feel pressured to do what everyone else is doing.

The world says that in order to be successful, you have to go to college, get a career that brings in lots of money so that, one day, you will have enough to retire and live out the rest of your days worry-free. This is that “cookie-cutter” plan I was talking about.

By no means am I saying that any of those things are bad, but I don’t believe that God intended for everyone to follow the same path.

Living With The Pressure of the Unknown.

Because I just graduated high school, I feel a lot of pressure to go to college.

However, I have never felt a major draw towards college. I often pray “God, where do you want me? What is the next step?”

I considered a number of different options, but none of them seemed quite right. So, I decided to stay at home for a little longer, work a job, save up some money, and continue to pray about it.

Of course, there are times when it worries me that I don’t have a clear plan in my near future; and I’m definitely not going to sit around and wait for that plan to come to me.

I will continue to seek it as I seek the Lord. Though it is a trying season of life, I know it is a growing one as well.

It Comes Down To Trust.

Sure, I have had my moments. I've cried, gotten angry and frustrated, felt confused and alone; but, still, I remember that God has a perfect plan for my life.

I also try to remember that God’s timing is not my timing.....at all.

I am the type of person that likes to know what I am getting into before I get to it. I like to be prepared, and I’m not that fond of surprises. So this season I am in is a stretch for me. I just continue to trust and pray.

Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.” 

So, if you are in a season where you are not sure what to do next or your life’s purpose seems unclear, just trust Him. Pray continually, and never stop seeking God’s will for your life because He always knows what’s best.

Join the Conversation: 

Do you know what your God-given purpose is yet, or are you still trying to figure it out?

Meet Our Guest

Eighteen year old Mikella Hammonds was home schooled and recently graduated in the Spring of 2012. As a pastor’s kid (PK for those in the know) she grew up actively involved in the church. Her favorite things are photography, singing, shopping, and playing the piano. Like any teenager, she also loves hanging out with her friends. She is the eldest of four children and all around amazing kid. (Don't tell her I said that!) 

6 Ways to Combat Stress

She was my first child; my learning curve. 

Sarah was seven, just a small tiny thing, when she had her first seizure. 

I was in the middle of a difficult year in college, in the middle of mid-terms, when that morning changed everything. 

She had been ill in the night. I had not awoken when she had vomited on herself in the early morning hours. I was new in town, hadn’t made many friends, and had just started to flirt with the idea of going back to church after years out in the world. I had no support system nearby. 

My husband worked for a new company and having a sick day was not really an option. I would have to miss midterms and risk failing, or make it work. 

I chose to make it work. 

I called a new acquaintance from church and asked them to watch her for a few hours. When they agreed I was relieved. I drove to meet them and drop off my pale, oddly quiet, sickly girl. As I put her into the other car it happened. She had a grand mal seizure. 

In my arms. 

If you are a parent, then you know the fear and the anguish I felt in that moment. Even now, I tear up at the memory of her face, contorted and pulled oddly to one side. Half of her body was limp and the other half pulled, jerking, struggling in all the wrong angles.   

I had one thing to say in that moment. It is a word I cannot repeat here. EVER. 

I knew what epilepsy looked like. My great grandmother was epileptic, and died having a static seizure. I knew what could be down the road. 

I did not stop, I did not collect $200, I swooped her up, ran back to my car, prayed for all I was worth, and drove to the hospital. 

It was one of the most stressful, fear-filled moments in my life. 

The most stressful moment however, was the one when I realized she had been seizing in the early morning hours while I slept just 20 feet away. 

By herself. 

She could have died, aspirating on her own vomit. I could have lost her and never known she needed me. For me it was a low moment. 

Since then, Sarah has grown out of her epilepsy and has been seizure free for six years now. Of course, there is always a chance she could relapse with a pregnancy or some other severe stressors, but for now she is a healthy 16 year-old and those things are something we acknowledge as future possibilities and then move on. 

Why am I telling you this? 

I am telling you this story because I want you to know that no matter what is going on, that moment of fear and stress will pass. 

Whatever you are going through, as hard, as difficult, or as scary as it may be, life will keep going on. There is only one thing you can control. 

You. 

Your words, your actions, your thoughts, these are the battleground right now. 

Fight the good fight. 

Here are six things you can do to get through this time without self-destructing physically/emotionally or losing faith: 

1. Get rest. When our bodies are stressed there are more hormones being poured into us. These hormones cause our hearts to beat faster, our muscles to tense up and mess with our digestion. Stress can even mess with sleep patterns. So slow down and get a nap in. The world will not come to a crashing halt while you catch a few moments of rest. 

2. Mind you words. The enemy loves an ambush. What better time to attack than when you are distracted. Remember the bible says give no foothold to the devil. Be careful that your words are faith filled, prayerful, grateful, and kind. 

3. Pray. Prayer allows a rest of a different kind. Emotional and spiritual rest. You need to keep your tank full. Get some face time with God. Get in His presence and let him renew your mind and spirit. 

4. Get physical. Don’t forget to take care of you. Go for a walk, hit the gym for 30 minutes, or do some other physical activity. When under stress our bodies tense up. Muscles need exercise to release lactic acid that can build up and cause those aches and pains you may feel. 

5. Pay attention to what and how you eat. When we are stressed, we are often on the go. Grabbing fast food may seem like a simple solution to your time crunch now, but in the long run, fast food can make the effects of stress harder to overcome. Eat well, taking time to spread out your meals and snacks into small portions of healthy fruits and vegetables. 

6. Celebrate the good. When we are in stressful situations it can seem like nothing is going right. Take the time to pay attention. Look for those moments to be thankful for. A colleague buying lunch, a friend calling at just the right time, or a stranger’s smile can make all the difference if you are paying attention. Stay grateful. 

Remember that no one is perfect. Do not be too hard on yourself during this time and keep in mind that this is just a season. Seasons change. 

How do you like to combat stress?  

How to Discover Your Purpose No Matter the Season

My daughter Sarah Beth

She is so young, only sixteen.

She thinks she has the world figured out.

My heart is heavy because I know how much she still has to learn. She is my daughter and I love her.

I want what is best for her. I have dreams and plans for her: a close personal relationship with God, college, a healthy and happy marriage, a successful art career and so much more, but it is her life, and she has to want the same things.

I by no means think it is my job is to micro-manage my children, but the Bible says “train up a child in the way they should go”. I have a desire to send her out into the world with her purpose firmly before her. That, above all is my desire: that she know what she was meant to do.

When we understand that God has plans for us, that we have a purpose, we are more focused, more patient and more effective.


More Focused-

Jeremiah 29:11 says God does have plans for you. They are plans full of peace and hope for a future. Plans to prosper you and not harm you.

In the book of Esther a young woman has been plucked out of her life, and placed in the palace. Here she becomes a wife, a queen, and a hero to the Nation of Israel. When she faced the reality that her life was not as important as the life of God’s people, she knew she was placed in the palace for a reason: “for such a time as this.”

God not only protected Esther, through her He delivered an entire nation from being destroyed.

More Patient-

Isaiah 40:31:

“But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”


When we know that God has a plan we can rest. We can pull into a “spiritual gas station” and refill our tanks. We can keep going when circumstances would tell anyone else to stop. Because we know God is taking us toward our destination, we can relinquish control and soar in the wind. We can ride on the current above the storm clouds.

When things don’t seem to go according to our plans, we know that as long as we are in His plan, (His good, acceptable and perfect plans) we are okay.

Romans 8:28:

“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose”

Seasons come and go in life. When we surrender to the God who makes the seasons, who made the stars and is writing our story, then we can be assured He will be faithful to complete the work He started.

More Effective-

Esther 4:15-16:

“Then Esther bade them return Mordecai this answer, Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish.”

Circumstances cannot sway us when we know what God’s purpose for us is. Esther’s uncle told her the choice to obey or not was hers. He knew that if Esther chose not to obey, that God would deliver His children, but her life might be cut short because of her disobedience. She was born for “Such a time as this”.

Knowing who we are and why we are where we are, whether the circumstances are good or bad, is the crux of being effective. This discernment will allow you to see ways to overcome circumstance, to effect change and to become influential in ways you never would have been before.

Daniel had endured captivity. He had served faithfully a pagan king while never compromising his faith. Now Daniel’s faithfulness brings him before a king once more. When he read the writing on the wall he discerned the time. He saw what God wanted from him and he acted on it without fear. Though that king died that night, Daniel still found favor with the new king, Darius, because he never altered who he was and pursued his purpose no matter what.

Still not sure what your purpose is? That is okay. Just know this: God knows. His ultimate plan is the redemption of man. His individual plans for us may vary, but they will always be in line with His ultimate plan. Trust Him and remember this:

Matthew 6:33:

“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”

Serve God where you are, no matter the season, and you will be in His will for your life.

Question: How can you be more effective where you are right now?