So in January of 2009 I was going to school and going nowhere at the same time
I worked, went to school, spent most of my time with friends. Some weekends I would go to Stillwater, OK to stay with a friend. While in Stillwater I became friends with one of his roommates: Stephen. He is an everyday average guy who happens to love playing 21questions, scrabble, and has some great tastes in music. All very good qualities if you ask me.
He has had a lot more influence on my life than most would think. It was at a very interesting time in my life that we met. I had chosen to live very far away from the love of God which left me trying to figure out things on my own. This is the part where I would go spend my free time in Stillwater, hanging out, doing nothing, watching the auction channel, the usual….then there was Stephen.
He is different than anyone I knew…he would chill out all weekend,he would stay up late, have a beer, play supersmash bros, talk about actual valuable things AND he would go to church on Sunday mornings. This blew my mind. That a normal person my own age would get up no matter how late we had been out the night before and willingly choose to go to church. It was this weird little thing that sunk into my thoughts. wow you can be normal, fun, lively and go to church with-out your parents prompting.
I had never seen that. Most of you know I wasn’t exactly living my life for God for a long time before I choose to become a missionary. I guess it was Stephen who made me realize you can be real and love God. There was nothing fake or unattainable about him. It encouraged me to the point of change that only God can bring. When I stayed the weekend there I ended up going to church with him on Sunday mornings and even back at home in Tulsa I started going to lifechurch.tv on my own.
Then in March(2009) I was researching missions trips and stumbled upon the world race. I read everything I could then promptly showed my mom and the first words out of her mouth : this was made for you, you have to do this. So I did before I knew it I was in Georgia for training camp in may then in August left for the world race which is 11 countries in 11 months.
So I left my old self and walked right into new life.
I say all this to say. It’s about relationship. It’s about living your life out in a way that blesses people, not exactly extravagant but beautiful. I think the rawness of who you are, your core values should shine through your everyday average self.
So sometimes I wonder if Stephen hadn’t been completely himself would I be where I am now?
