At first, I didn’t want to go on a gap year.
And when I say I didn’t want to go on a gap year, I really didn’t want to take a gap year.
Let me back up a bit. Junior year I took a Saturday with my mom and dad to go down to Liberty University for a tour of the campus. I had heard all about Liberty from several staff members at my church, McLean Bible Church. Freshman year we had driven by, however it had been in a snowstorm and we didn’t know how to navigate around campus. Fun fact about Liberty, is that 80 percent of its classes around in a huge building called DeMoss Hall. So, with the snow and that little fact, I ended up thinking it was just this dinky little Christian college and no way would I ever want to spend my college career in such a small college.
Long story short, I took the tour and was blown away. The campus, the people, the vibe? I had found my dream college. Fast forward to maybe a third of the way through my senior year, and my mom comes up to me one night and suggests it might be better if I take a gap year. I was shocked, and hurt. I had finally found my dream college, was excited about what I wanted to do, and she wants me to delay that a whole other year?
She explained that she thought a break from school would be good for me, since my academic career at my highschool had been so difficult. I was initially upset that she thought I couldn’t take it, but after I took some time to think about it I agreed with her. Every adult I had consulted told me they had wished they had taken a year off, and a single year delay wouldn’t irrevocably alter my life. So I decided. I would take a year off and work, make some money for college, and maybe do some volunteer work.
I looked into several organizations such as the Red Cross, because I also wanted to use the year to travel. After all, when else would I do it? When else would I get a chance to see the world? But I couldn’t do it. Having been on previous mission trips to the Dominican Republic, I just couldn’t commit to a trip where we would only provide physical relief, and not spiritual relief. So I decided that maybe I would volunteer at my church.
I went to my youth pastor, DJ Corkey, and asked him about any volunteer opportunities he might know of. Bless him, he totally misread my question; instead of giving me some job opportunities at the church, he gave me a list of organizations to volunteer with. I suddenly felt too awkward to correct him, so I thanked him and left. I was curious though, so I looked up a couple of the names. Lo and behold, the World Race was on the list.
Clicking on the site, I was ecstatic! It seemed to be perfect! I would travel, be able to help people, and I wouldn’t be missing out on the spiritual growth I was so looking forward to getting at Liberty. And then I checked the price tag.
Immediately, I was crestfallen. There was no way I could raise that amount of money, I was just a kid. So I closed the tab, and put the World Race Gap Year out of my mind.
But God had a different plan.
All throughout the week, I simply couldn’t stop thinking about it. Every day, my mind would wander back to that place, almost unbidden, and I was unable to stop. I know now that the Holy Spirit was guiding me toward where God wanted me to go.
Finally, it was Wednesday, and the night of the weekly bible study done through my church that I hosted this year. Near the end, we were all talking, and honestly I don’t even remember how we got to the topic, but I remember what my leader said quite clearly.
“Whenever I feel like I’ve hit a spiritual low, or I’ve stopped growing in my walk with Christ, what always gets me more in tune with God is carrying out his number one commandment: spreading the good news.”
And I just sat there and thought to myself, well if that isn’t the biggest green light I’ve ever seen then I don’t know what is. So I went back to the site, checked out the Gap year routes, and decided. I went to my parents, they told me I was crazy, I agreed with them, and it was settled. If I could raise the money, then I could go on the World Race Gap Year.
I don’t know why God has set me on this path, but I know He has a purpose for me to find this next year. My only job is to trust in Him fully to take me where He wants me to be.
