What do you want to be when you grow up?
That infamous question which is asked at nearly every stage of your life until you actually establish a stable career… Growing up when my parents asked me this question I without hesitation responded just like that elf from the Rudolph story. I want to be a dentist. As I grew up this often changed from the dentist to a vet and then later changed into becoming a doctor. This had not wavered much when I entered college but as I started to take some classes and let other priorities get in the way of my education, medical school seemed like the craziest dream that I could have concocted for myself. As my hopes of getting into medical school slowly diminished, I looked for other outlets to hold onto in order to come up with some response to give when asked this question. I know for a fact that EVERY college kid in the world HATES answering these two questions when coming home for thanksgiving break sitting around the table as every relative is intently awaiting your answers… 1) What do you want to do with your degree? 2) Have you met anyone at school? To us it is asking if we have our lives together. Have you figured who you might marry and what you plan to do in order to buy all that crap that makes up a life together? The truth is we haven’t thought about much else other than what kind of pizza will be served in the cafeteria that day or picking out an outfit to wear that we haven’t worn in the past week. It’s not that we hate talking with our relatives (well you guys might but my relatives are the most awesome people in the world…not trying to brag **cough cough) but you HATE those special questions because it reminds you that you have no clue what you want and if you remotely think that you have it all figured out then guess what life is there to laugh and say.. NOT TODAY KID!!
After graduation people have been asking what I want to do with life BESIDES the race. I do still want to go to Occupational Therapy school as of right now BUT what if my plans are changed because of the events I experience abroad? What if I am meant to do something else with my life? After much heartache, worry, and stress I can finally say I know what I want to be when I grow up. I want to be selfless. I want to put others before myself. I want to a servant. I want to be someone that makes everyone feels like a somebody. I understand this is not something that is a “you go to school for this many years and check off the checklist of requirements in order to be this occupation” type of thing. I understand this will not pay the bills. I understand that this will be a daily struggle. I understand that it is our human nature to have this survival of the fittest, selfish instinct. I accept that once I try to fulfill my calling that everything else will come together. This is a great leap of faith but I want to be more that a person that goes to work, does what she is supposed to, pays the bills, be the doting wife and mother, drives the kids to soccer practice, etc. I want those things just as much as every other 9 year old girl as she sits in her bedroom writing in her pathetic electronic journal password dairies that their brother can break into in like 20 seconds… but I WANT more. I hope that by doing something as awesome as this missions trip to help other people that I will find what I want to do in order to help people throughout my life. For now, I’m going on this race with a selfless spirit. I urge you to pray about what you want to be when you grow up as it is never too late to be the person you have always hoped you would become.
“And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.”
-2 Corinthians 9:8
