How did I come to decide upon ministry?
Throughout my life, God has always been an influence on many of the decisions I’ve made. He has kept me from getting into trouble the way I would have enjoyed if I did not have His presence. He has been there for comfort and strength in the serious matters of life. Even so, I was mostly a lukewarm Christian, and when I was graduating high school I had no real plans in life. I wanted a decent job that allowed me to travel, and a small involvement in the church.
So, since I didn’t know what I wanted to do, I tried community college. I was quickly advised by their staff to not waste my time there because my high school diploma was equally sufficient as any degree they offered. I needed something else to do with my time as I figured things out, and began working in a factory.
A couple months of working in the factory made me really think about what my life should be for. I knew that cleaning bumpers and living from paycheck to paycheck was not what it was I was made for. It was here that I made my decision that I was wanting to do something worth dying for. I wanted to go into the ministry, but I didn’t want to pay for the expensive college tuition. I tried to join the military, but was medically rejected because of my right ear being deaf. So, I made plans to pay for college myself.
I applied for Bible college at the start of this year and planned to work until summer so I could be ready for fall semester. I thought this was the best idea so far, but God had a better plan. Over a couple months, I kept ignoring the feeling that college wasn’t quite right for me. The idea was a good one. There was no reason in my mind it shouldn’t work out.
One night, I discussed my plans with some people I hadn’t seen in a while. When it was time to go home, and I got in my car, I was overwhelmed with stress and confusion about my decision for college. I asked God “Why am I so troubled? Is this plan not good?”. To which He answered “Have you even asked me what it is I want you to do?” Huh. What an idea. Of all the things I had planned before, I will admit that I only prayed for help in my decision, but it was my decision that was the problem.
With this new revelation, I instantly started coming up with new plans and ideas. And while I know that I should be able to listen to the Holy Spirit for guidance, I didn’t want to dismiss His insight as another one of my plans. I needed help from somewhere else, so I asked God to help me out, and to give me a physical sign that I won’t be able to miss. Right away I heard Him say “Ah yeah, it’s going to be a lot like what my Son did.”. Wondering what this could mean, I went to bed without anyone knowing of the conversation.
The next afternoon, I woke up to a message from my mother telling me she got this feeling that I should go on the Gap Year trip. I got my answer! Finally, I felt at peace with my goal. I’ve got something I’m excited about, and I know I can go into it with confidence that I’m doing what I’m supposed to. I can hardly wait to go on what I expect to be an epic mission to help spread the good news of Christ. God wasn’t wrong when he told me that what I’d do would be a lot like what His Son did!
