We make it a point to actively pursue wisdom from God, and He has yet to let us down.
I know as teens we were taught to “visualize where you should be in five years,” but that’s difficult to project in the areas of character when you are still growing in wisdom, as you should be.
My recommendation: Don’t try to figure out the WHOLE future with the wisdom that you have today or you could overwhelm yourself.
Trust God that He will give you the tools you need at the time you need them to deal with life’s challenges. That’s why some of those pre-marriage counseling books can be depressing. They assume there is no active role of the Holy Spirit in maturing you through marriage.
For us, happiness snuck up on us when we weren’t trying to exploit it at all costs; it just happened as a result of continually trying to do the right thing. In the eyes of the world, as well as many Christians, we probably looked foolish – having a baby before “the right job”, not having the finances to fit in another pregnancy, etc. But with the birth of each child, God has provided a response to our physical needs and desires. God has given us ideas and ways to slash our spending of what we thought was necessary and He has surprised us by giving us more contentment and joy in other areas that we would not have predicted… and several times has even provided for us through a better job or pay raise. “… the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight” (I Cor. 3:19).