Senior year: Building a life, not just a resume

If you are a senior, whether in high school or college, big changes are on the horizon. Preparing for these changes can often bring an onslaught of anxieties and orient our focus toward what is ahead, sometimes at the expense of what is immediately in front of us. It’s important to remember that the present moment is sacred. As C.S. Lewis would say, the present moment is “where time touches eternity.” 

This senior year, in the midst of preparing resumes, applying for college admissions or jobs, be sure your overarching life purpose doesn’t get drowned out in the noise of self-promotion. To make the most of your senior year, stay rooted in the present moment and receive each opportunity as part of your ongoing formation. Your central life purpose of growing in a relationship with God cannot be achieved by checklists and ambitions, but rather through faithfulness one day at a time. You have the chance to build a life that glorifies God, moment by moment.

Do something for its own sake

When you have a big picture goal or a five-year plan in mind, it can be tempting to view everything as a means to that end. Each class you take becomes merely a prerequisite, each internship experience is a networking strategy, or even each volunteer hour becomes another layer of resume padding. This mindset not only breeds anxiety, but it also flattens your experience. Break out of this productivity mindset with some true leisure. Not downtime merely to recharge in order to get back to the grindstone, but  actual leisure that rests in the goodness of something simply because it is good. Josef Pieper’s Leisure: The Basis of Culture is an outstanding read that is sure to jolt you out of the mundane and reawaken a sense of festival, worship, and leisure, as such. 

Place your future in God’s hands

There are so many ways to “prepare” for your future, but one could argue that the most essential way is to surrender. The age-old adage attributed to St. Ignatius of Loyola says, “pray as if everything depends on God; and work as if everything depends on you.” This can be a helpful mantra in the ordinary day-to-day, but with impending changes post-graduation, it is even more important to surrender to God’s perfect plan for your future. No amount of standardized test studying or job interview practicing can prepare your heart to receive God’s will for your life. The practicals are essential, but they can never be at the expense of your relationship with God or your awareness of His indwelling in your heart. This moment is not merely a gauntlet that you must pass through, but rather it is an occasion where God is purifying you for the good gifts He has prepared for you. Rest in this moment of transition, knowing that you are doing God’s will, here, even now. If you’d like to reflect more on surrendering to God in the present moment, Father Jean-Pierre Caussade’s Abandonment to Divine Providence is superb.

Find ways to give of yourself (right now)

Man finds himself through a “sincere gift of self” (Gaudium et Spes, paragraph 24). Chances are, you are not currently living out your capital “V” vocation yet, but you can still find meaningful, smaller ways to give of yourself. Living in service of others is a central tenet of the Christian life and a surefire way to break through any egocentrism that may be creeping into your mindset during senior year. Whether it is volunteering in a formal capacity, helping a friend who is struggling, or simply making room in your heart and home for others through hospitality, time spent on others is never wasted. You do not have to wait until the next chapter of your life to heed Pope St. John Paul II’s call to “open wide the doors to Christ!”

With big changes getting closer every day, it can be tempting to neglect the present moment in the name of future-minded preparation. However, senior year offers a rare opportunity to live deeply tied to the present moment, because in a way it is all you have! You may not know what you’ll be doing a year from now, but you can rest in the promise that God will be with you.