Christians are often instructed to trust and ask God to show them what he wants them to do and what his will is for their lives. Students can pray for discernment in anything from the friendships they make in school to the opportunities to grow their faith.
Let’s see some examples from our 2025 NEXT Steps Awards cohort about what they are discerning as they transition to post-secondary.
Betsy prays that…”I would be confident and have trust in God's plan for me and to continue to walk in faith and be open to the doors and opportunities he presents in front of me and that I would also have the discernment to say no to certain things.
Jeremiah shared with us that his prayers were that “[he] practice resiliency, growth, personal development and community engagement [while in his studies]”.
Danika mentioned that “I also pray for God's will to be done in my life and that this will be an opportunity for me to grow in faith, wisdom, and stature”
Even when we see others discerning God’s will for their future, we may not find it all that easy to practice this kind of faith. I know that I personally struggle to prayerfully discern God’s will, while being overly prone to worry about my future decisions, and how they will be perceived by others. We have a natural inclination to simply judge our future decisions on whether things are right or wrong.
Is it right to pursue a nursing degree now, or maybe later? Is it wrong to take a break after high school and take a gap year? What will others think of me? What if I make the wrong choice?
Even though we as humans are truly limited, we have a gracious heavenly father who knows, provides, and has a plan for all of our needs. For some of us, we may come to a crossroad where we consider the alternatives to schooling, and this may be difficult, especially when we may see our peers going down other paths. In seasons of transition and in sudden changes of plans, we need godly discernment as we walk in faith into the unknown.
How Does God’s Word Describe What Discernment Looks Like?
Psalm 127:1 says, “Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labour in vain.”
God can guide our own intuition and discernment as we partner with him. Even as limited human beings, we can grow to understand and discern God’s will in two parts.
We can know what God approves of in His design for our lives both in our relationship with Jesus and with others.
Power to Change Students highlights in their article “Can I be confident in knowing God’s will?” that we can
Understand more of God and his design through reading the Bible - God’s living Word (2 Timothy 3:16)
We can remember where God has worked in our lives in the past (Psalm 77:11-12)
We can trust God in His sovereignty when we partner with the Spirit to make decisions with wisdom.
The Life Architects offer a Biblical perspective on the many ways we can choose to trust God: They mention that we can
Pray for wisdom from the Holy Spirit (James 1:5)
Discern with godly mentors who share their testimony, encourage, and edify us
Steward our bodies and conscience to understand the consequences of our actions upon ourselves and other people (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)
When we discern God’s will in these two parts, we can be confident that we are held secure by the Lord and that we can live for His glory.
But What If Others Judge Me? - A Hard Heart And How God Works In A Gap Year
I only had a vague familiarity with the idea of a gap year in the years leading up to graduation. As I learned about friends taking this transitional step and started discussing it at home, I learned more about my family’s educational expectations and cultural values. Looking back, I see how I developed faulty expectations and held some stigmas towards taking a gap year. I wrongly understood that
1) Gap years are not ideal
2) Gap years are a greater ordeal
3) God in a gap year? That’s not real.
My family ideally wanted my siblings and I to attend a post-secondary institution right after high school. When my older sister applied for a few arts universities, I waited with her in anticipation of her university application results. When those results were not what she had hoped for, she decided to take a gap year. Despite it being a decision she had made with careful discernment in partnership with God, I could not understand why my sister would choose to take a gap year when she was not encouraged to do so.
Internally, I felt conflicted. “Won’t this mean she’ll finish school later?” “Why take a break when there are other options?” “What about what mom and dad want?”
My response was a mixture of worry, assumptions, and expectations full of cultural stigma.
I felt as though my sister would face more hardship if she did not meet my family’s ideal expectations. God’s plans for her looked very different than my own expectations for her life. I need to learn to be humble in watching and waiting for what God would do in and through her. As I grew older, entering into that same season of university applications, God helped me understand my sister more.
God was doing miraculous work in my sister’s life to prepare her for a different season. One of rest.
While away from school, God gave my sister a season of discovering her God-given gifts and talents in the arts. In taking a gap year, my sister grew to understand more about her God-given identity and felt better prepared to transition to her post-secondary studies a year later.
Eventually, even through our tremendously different journeys, my sister and I were able to convocate last June in the same week, all to the glory of God.
The Good Stuff To Help You Pick a Program
It is necessary to do the practical prep work for a gap year alongside discerning spiritually. Here are some tips for how you can pick some gap year options that are the best fit for you!
Get to Know Yourself - Goals, Interests, and Areas of Growth
Understanding your options can help you better determine if a program is the best fit for your goals/future aspirations and your personal preferences or areas of growth. Getting to know yourself and practicing self-reflective activities can help you discern these factors. McGill University provides a great framework for self-assessment that can be a useful tool: https://www.mcgill.ca/caps/students/explore/self-assessment
Research Your Options - Understanding Program Offerings
A big part of discerning whether a Gap Year is wise, is doing some preliminary research on what programs or opportunities are available. McClean's Magazine’s article, “How to Plan a Gap Year” gives an in-depth summary about how to choose your Gap Year. They highly suggested reviewing these sites.
https://discoveryear.ca/ - Certificate Program
https://www.cangap.ca/ - Resource Hub
We also have a list of recommended Gap Year programs that integrate faith, missions, and volunteering. Click here to see some select programs that some Next Step Applicants have referred to in their applications.
Get Connected - Learn About Other People’s Journeys
Here are two stories from gap year attendees. Perhaps you know of others personally and can hear about their journey? This student is from Act 5 in Hamilton Ontario which supports students through an 8-month-long program focusing on living, eating, learning, travelling, and worshiping with others in community. One student, MD, describes how Act 5 helped her discern a career with placements in not-for-profit organizations. https://actfive.ca/2025/04/through-students-eyes-discerning-through-placements/
QUEST in Abbotsford, British Columbia, hosts a one-year program that seeks to help students grow in their identity in Christ and calling through serving and learning. Reflecting on her participation in QUEST, S describes how, through being vulnerable, she found care in the community. https://columbiabc.edu/i-am-enough-how-quest-helped-me-find-freedom/
There are many opportunities for growth, learning, and development that may not always look like post-secondary schooling. Discerning God’s will is important to understand how we can bear fruit in each season. Discerning options for a gap year might be a wise decision for those who want more time to grow their relationship with God, explore their options, and experience community through serving, leadership, and small groups.
About the author:
Danielle is an alumnus of the NEXT Steps awards and Power to Change at the University of Toronto. By day, she is a Student Success Advisor at Toronto Metropolitan University, supporting students' transition to post-secondary life. Behind the scenes, she is an enthusiastic follower of Jesus who stewards Christ as a mentor, creative, and lover of good food and scenic nature walks.
Danielle is an alumnus of the NEXT Steps awards and Power to Change at the University of Toronto. She now works as a Student Success Advisor at Toronto Metropolitan University, supporting students' transition to post-secondary life. She is an enthusiastic follower of Jesus who enjoys mentorship, creative arts, good food, and the great outdoors!
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