My whole life I have had the mindset that you learn things in elementary school to prepare you for middle school, and you learn things in middle school to prepare you for high school, and then you learn things in high school to prepare you for college, and then you learn things in college to prepare you for life. Then you get a job right out of college and work the rest of your life or until you retire and then you have the chance to go do whatever you want.
What if we have it all wrong?
What if it has been so engrained into society’s mind that going to college right after high school is what you have to do if you want a successful life?
What if you have absolutely no clue what you want to do?
How are we as 17 and 18 year olds supposed to know how we want to spend the next 50+ years if we have never done anything at all except go to school the last 12 years of our lives?
People love to ask the question: What do you want to be when you grow up? I don’t know how, but my friends and peers always have answers that they are so certain of. This has made me feel an overwhelming pressure to make up something that sounds good; like I want to be a doctor, or a lawyer, or a psychologist, or a teacher, or countless other careers I have no actual desire to follow through with. And if I actually tell the truth and say “I have no earthly idea what I want to do or what I have a passion for.” People respond with:
“Oh that is totally OK!”
“You have plenty of time to figure it out!”
“That’s what college is for!”
“You can change your major as many times as you want!”
And to be quite honest I hate when people say that… Like I understand I have time but it isn’t reassuring when they tell me about it. So what if I told you that there was a way I could go do something before college and figure out what I am passionate about? What if there was a way to figure out what talents God has given me without having to change my major a billion times? What if taking a year off of school would actually help me in figuring out what I want to do?
That is what this Gap Year is going to be for me. God has called me to do this and I truly believe that I’m going to come home after 9 months with a better understanding of who I am, who He is, and why He has placed me here on Earth. I know that for me personally, taking this gap year will help me realize what I love before I start studying for a specific major.
Sooo this is why I have decided not to go to college… not quite yet anyway. And what I am asking of you is that you support me through prayer, support me financially, and support my decision to not continue my education immediately. I am so sure that God will provide me with what I need for this trip, but I also know that I have to ask for help. So I hope that whether you can donate $1 or $100, you know that every little bit means the world to me, and every little bit will help me reach my $15,800 goal that will provide me with food, shelter, and travel during my 9 month mission trip!! 🙂 Thank you so much for reading, and I hope you keep up with my journey during my travels and leading up to my departure.
Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight.
