So one of the things I was supposed to do a while ago was write a blog about how I was called to go on this trip. Recently, I realized that part of the story was already written. Here’s something I wrote for a friends newsletter in Spring of ’09.
It’s time for healing, time to move on.
It’s time to fix what’s been broken too long.
Time to make right what has been wrong.
It’s time to find my way to where I belong.
There’s a wave that’s crashing over me,
And all I can do is surrender.
Whatever you’re doing inside of me,
It feels like chaos but somehow there’s peace.
It’s hard to surrender to what I can’t see
but I’m giving in to something heavenly.
Although I’m not exactly musically-inclined, I generally have a “theme song” that speaks in and of my life. A few months ago that theme song was “Whatever You’re Doing” by Sanctus Real. Little did I expect the overflow of blessings that would come from that heart cry.
I am a college graduate with a new job, no longer involved in Chi Alpha (student Christian organization on Troy University’s campus). So the World Missions Summit, an event held in Cincinnati, Ohio, geared toward Chi Alpha students, wasn’t exactly where I expected to be over the New Years holiday. Thankfully God works through the unexpected.
For 2.5 days, thousands of college students and hundreds of missionaries overran downtown Cincinnattti. For me this wasnot a conference focused on spiritual uplifting or Christian fellowship. It was a time of serious challenges, a focus on evaluating my life and it’s direction. One phrase used numerous times throughout the event was “give a year, pray about a lifetime.” When the call was given to commit to serving God in missions for a one year, while praying about making that commitment for a lilfetime, I answered. Overwhelmed by God’s goodness and the impact of the time in his presence at WMS, for a couple days after returning from Cincinatti, I was at a loss to adequately explain what had happened. Finally, I was able to laughingly explain to a friend, “I feel like I’ve been set up.” Looking back on events in my life, it seems that so much has led to this point of being able to commit to this amazing opportunity. Although I’m still waiting on God for the details of exactly where and when this year will be spent, this commitment is a life-changing one. And it comes with a new theme song.
This might hurt, it’s not safe
But I know that I’ve gotta make a change
I don’t care if I break
At least I’ll be feeling something 
‘Cause just okay is not enough
Help me fight through the nothingness of life
I don’t wanna go through the motions
I don’t wanna go one more day
without your all consuming passion inside of me
I don’t wanna spend my whole life asking
“What if I had given everything
instead of going through the motions?”
I’m under no delusions that this will be an easy journey to undertake, but I do believe that it is one of the most worthwhile adventures I could possibly accept.
