To me a person finds their true
vocation when their talents and the things they are passionate about
combine. Each one of us has our own
unique vocation or calling in life. It’s
not always easy to find our vocation.
Many times we might question it or doubt that this this is what we are
meant to do. I will be the first to
admit that I have questioned and doubted many times throughout my journey. Along with all the questions, I’ve gotten
some answers that have helped me begin to piece together what my vocation
is. God has led me on a very interesting
path in recent years that has helped me to discern my calling and it has also
challenged me and made me want to explore what exactly my vocation is.
I feel as
though God has called me to a vocation of service. Ever since I was in high school I have been
blessed with many opportunities to be of service to others. During that time I was fortunate enough to go
with my church youth group on three mission trips down to Mexico where we
helped a community build a new church. I
remember coming back home after that first mission trip feeling absolutely
overwhelmed. I still have trouble
expressing how unbelievable the experience was.
To work along side these people was truly a gift. While it was only one week a year, the bonds
and relationships I made will never be forgotten. These experiences were the starting point of
my journey that led me to this place I am today.
In college
I continued to seek opportunities to volunteer and serve others. At college, there was an emphasis on service
and helping others, which gave me plenty of chances to live out my vocation. I participated in two service trips and led
one as well where I met some truly wonderful people and helped to fill a need
in their community. Every time I came
back from one of these trips, I felt an even greater sense of calling to serve.
During my
third year at college I was able to spend a month in Tanzania. The main point of the trip was to just
immerse ourselves in the culture and learn as much as we could. While we were there we also did some
volunteer work. We spent time at a local
orphanage, helped build the roof on a church and put a fresh coat of paint on
others. It was in a lifetime experience
and one I will never forget. When I came
back from this trip I began to think about going abroad and volunteering. I’m not quite sure why I wanted to do this,
but I knew this feeling had to do with God’s plan for me. I started to look into teaching abroad as
well, but nothing seemed to feel quite right.
Then one day at the beginning of my last year at college I was talking
to my campus pastor about what was going to come next after college. I told her that I had been looking into
teaching abroad, but nothing was really coming of it. Then she told me about this program called
Young Adults in Global Mission. The
program takes about fifty young people and sends them out around the world to
serve in local communities. I was so
excited about this idea that I immediately began to look into it. After a rather long application process, I
was accepted into the program. In April
of last year, I spent a weekend getting to know all the other YAGMs and
learning more about what it means to serve.
It was a chance for all of us to discern whether or not this was what we
were supposed to be doing. By the end of
the weekend I left with more questions than answers, but at the same time trust
in God that he knew where I was headed.
About a
month before I was supposed to come over here, that’s when reality set in. The thing that God called me to do meant that
I would be leaving behind everything and everyone I had known to start a new
journey. I didn’t think I was ready for
this. I wasn’t sure I actually wanted to
do this. I had major doubts if I could
not see my family and friends for a year.
Could I actually leave life behind?
In the end though I just had to trust that God knew my life plan better
than I did.
It’s not always easy to follow your
vocation. To follow mine I had to leave
behind my friends and family behind. But
through this experience I have gained new friends that will stay with me in my
heart forever. I feel I have grown both
personally and I gained new skills that will help me to be a better teacher. Right now, I’m not sure what comes after
this year. I don’t know if I’m meant to
go back home and be a teacher or go somewhere completely different. All I know is that I will continue to live
out my vocation of service wherever I am.
I am full with questions about what comes next and to be honest I’m a
little scared. I just have to remind
myself to trust that God knows where I’m headed and that I need to just listen
and he will tell me where I need to go.
He might not give me a huge flashing sign that says go here, but if I
listen closely enough I will be able to hear it.
I encourage
you all to just go out and find the things you are most passionate about and do
them because that’s what vocation to me is all about. Doing what you love and loving what you do.
After I wrote this I felt a sense of peace in my heart; a peace that I have not know for quite some time. It was in that moment when I realized everything is going to be okay. Even if all of the wrinkles for next year have not been ironed out, I know that things will happen for me. I don't know what, I don't know where and I don't know when but the important thing is that God does and that's all I need to care about.
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