To whom shall we go?
By christine song, uc berkeley
As a soon-to-be grad, there are many questions I have about what comes after graduation in May, including, what will I do, and where will I go? In thinking about my future, I have sought advice from different people, including my peers, my parents, and alumni. While it is wise to listen to the words of many counselors (Proverbs 15:22), my search for guidance has ultimately brought me back to the words of the Wonderful Counselor (Isaiah 9:6).
During his earthly ministry, Jesus taught on a number of different topics, ranging from money to relationships with other people. Still, Jesus’s primary mission was to tell of God’s kingdom and the gospel message: He was sent by God the Father to be the Savior, so “that the world might be saved through Him” (John 3:17).
Christians have a fixed future. By grace alone through faith in Jesus Christ alone, we have received as our free gift the gift of eternal life (Romans 6:23). Jesus is the living bread; we who have eaten of this bread will live forever (John 6:51). Yet I find myself so easily forgetting this promise and trying to control my own future. How quick am I to busy myself with temporal cares, so much so that God becomes a second, or third, thought? How easily do I turn to rely on myself to get through my days? Above all, how foolish am I to carry the burden of my sins, forgetting that Jesus bore them for me and has promised me forgiveness?
My prayer is for greater faith to cling to Jesus’s words. Because Jesus has lifted off of us our heaviest load, our sins, he says, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). Every hurt I’ve experienced and every pain I’ve inflicted on others has been taken up by Jesus on the cross. Jesus died the death that was mine. He was forsaken by God in my stead. I have been given a new identity in Christ. I have tasted freedom by His sacrificial love.
Considering these realities, I find myself repeating the words of Simon Peter: “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life” (John 6:68). Truly, who else can we turn to? Who else offers such life-giving words, and, indeed, his life? Christ alone has turned our mourning into dancing (Psalm 30:11), and in Him is abundant redemption (Psalm 130:7).
I can only speculate where I might end up three months from now. But my salvation is not a speculation. Christ’s words and Christ Himself are a sure foundation. Therefore, let us bend our efforts toward loving Jesus more. Let us place full hope in our secured eternity. May His words be a sweet melody to our ears and His beauty the greatest sight we behold.
Christine Song is a senior double majoring in English and Linguistics at UC Berkeley. This season of transition has brought her to deeply appreciate the immutability of God.