Earlier this year, I began to feel a strong tug away from the life I was living. It was weird because nothing was wrong with my life…I had the perfect job, perfect home, perfect life. But something was missing. There was no fire in my heart. I was bored. And boredom is not a good thing. So I began applying for teaching jobs all over the east coast. I thought, “Maybe if I move out of my parents’ house and teach in a different state, I’ll find happiness and contentment.”
I interviewed, and I received job offers. The offers came from several places, even as far as south Florida. “I’d love to have you on my team,” said the principal interviewing me on the other line. [Phone interviews are slightly less intimidating than typical interviews]. “Thank you,” I responded. “I’ll need some time to think about it.”
And thinking I did.
After much internal deliberation, my heart wasn’t sold on the idea of a move to Florida, so I turned down his offer, and felt ‘at peace’ about that decision.
But still I was not satisfied. Maybe I wasn’t looking in the right direction, as far as moving jobs and locations. So my heart began whispering prayers to God instead of trying to figure it out on my own. And I can honestly say that God gave me an answer, even though it wasn’t what I wanted to hear at the time.
What have I always wanted to do, but never felt like I could actually do it? What would require me to put complete trust in God?
Mission work. Traveling to a new country, meeting new people, spreading the Good News, helping to meet the needs of people. The idea just puts a smile on my face. The peace that succumbs me, the joy that bubbles over in my chest, the goosebumps I get from my neck to my toes. This is my calling. This is my year to be brave.
Can I do great and amazing things in the United States? Definitely. But my heart is ready for a trip that will jump-start the change I want to help bring to my home country.
I’m 26 years old. I have a Master’s degree, 4 years of teaching experience, a family who loves me, a good head on my shoulders (or so I’ve been told), and a passion that I’ve tried to hide because it seems so impossible. But Luke 1:37 says that with God, all things are possible. Not just the easy things, the simple things, the daily things…ALL things. Even the difficult, seemingly impossible, crazy, irrational things.
If you would’ve asked me in high school what my life would look like at 26 years old, I would’ve told you I’d be married with 2 kids, living in a fancy house in a big city. Could I live that life right now? Certainly. But I wouldn’t have peace, because God has different plans for my life at this time. He has so much more for me than the life I thought I wanted.
This is bigger than me. Great things don’t come from comfort zones, and serving others is rarely convenient. Is a year-long mission trip overseas convenient for me? Absolutely not. But there will always be 1,000 excuses for why I can’t go…why I can’t say ‘yes’ to God.
I’m finally choosing to put the excuses in the trash can, grab my backpack, and go.
