4 Things Complicating the Life of Every Twentysomething

This article first appeared on Relevant Magazine’s website.

When I entered my twenties, I had no idea how complicated and difficult life would become. Instead, I was blinded by the thrills of being a young adult in a world of opportunity.

Culture had told me the twentysomething life was a glamorous adventure and filled with the recklessness of being young and free. But what I wasn’t prepared for was how complicated the twentysomething really life is.

Eventually though, I’ve learned that the twentysomething story doesn’t have to be as complicated as we make it out to be. In fact, the reason our twentysomething life is messy is because, often times, we hold onto misconceptions and desires we don’t need to deal with.

The key is focusing on what truly matters, even if that requires simplifying some typical problems plaguing the twentysomething life. Here are a few of those problems:

1. The Pressure to Have Everything Figured Out

We want to lead intentional lives, but sometimes, we mistake this for meaning that we have to have all the answers right now. If I’m honest with you, I don’t know exactly what I’m going to be doing in the future. I don’t think many of us do.

But guess what? That’s OK.

It’s OK to not know everything about life. This doesn’t make you unintentional. Intentionality is not about knowing where you’re going; it’s about going there with purpose. This means that it’s OK to figure out life as you go along, just as long as you commit to where you feel led.

2. The Need to Cure Loneliness

Being in our twenties can be lonely, but it doesn’t have to be. One misconception we have is that to cure loneliness, we have to be in a relationship. This is why we feel down when we see friends getting engaged and or couples getting married. We think it means they have it figured out. But, the reality is, they don’t either.

Loneliness isn’t tied to our relationship status. Being single does not mean you’re alone. It’s not something to cure. It’s something to take advantage of.

To Jesus, singleness wasn’t a sad thing. Singleness, to Him, meant being surrounded with good company. In the same way, we’re not alone if we’re single. We just have the opportunity to make our life ripe with meaningful friendships.

Read the rest over at Relevant Magazine’s website!