Well...for a while now i have pretty much known that i was called to help people and glorify God through doing whatever i end up doing, however that all plays out. My major is Child & Family Studies and i plan on continuing my education through Seminary and my main focus being Biblical Counseling. I have always had a gift when it comes to listening to and helping people through their problems. When i worked as a hostess at Chesterfield's, i can't tell you how many times people came up to the hostess stand and poured out their hearts to me and i just listened and sort of psychoanalyzed the situation at hand. I don't know why, but it comes really easy to me to "figure" people out and i would say i'm good a discerning.
I would joke that i was giving my fellow employees a free service that one day would cost them, so they should take full advantage of it. Of course, if i could get by i would do it for free. It's a really strange thing because i am a complete introvert at heart. I'm awkward, shy and oftentimes i want to talk to certain people, but i just don't. However, when it comes to talking to someone, one on one and they are telling me their deepest darkest secrets, thoughts and dreams, i couldn't be more relational. I love to listen and i literally FEEL people's pain when they're opening up to me about a particular burden/issue. I can only think that God has given me these gifts/desires because he desires for me to help people. I would love love love to be involved with International Justice Mission or another organization, counseling girls coming out of sex trafficking. i could do that here or overseas....but regardless, i have been passionate about this for a while.
The first time i read about sex trafficking, i literally stayed in bed the rest of the day and cried. I just felt this immense pain for the girls who live that everyday. I can't imagine how it feels to be in their shoes, but like i said before, i tend to be a very empathetic person and the very thought of being in their shoes is overwhelming. I think this is a good thing, but i also foresee myself getting very emotional in the process of being a counselor and taking on these girl's burdens. But someone has to and i'm willing to hurt with them because i know what can fix their pain. God has called me to love people and sometimes that means being uncomfortable at times. But i think that it would be something i would love to do for sure.
This past summer, i felt God calling me to possibly do missions in the future. Basically what i felt him saying was that no matter where he calls me, i should be obedient. In the past, the idea of living overseas with barely anything and living radically for Christ's name.....would seem unappealing. But this summer after reading the book "Radical" and diving into the Word i realized, yeah its a sacrifice but it's so worth it. i realized i don't want to waste my life living the "American Dream"....buying useless stuff and always itching for more more more. When in reality, no single "thing" or even a person, can satisfy what i really need and thats Christ. And all he asks of me is that i don't waste my life living it for myself and the world....but instead sacrificing myself for His name and making it KNOWN to the world.
I can't stop listening to "How he loves" and thinking about how there are countless people who have never heard His name and desperately NEED to. They could be a little girl in Cambodia who is trapped in a terrible life or the guy you work with at a restaurant. They need to hear it though. Either way.
....So my encouragement to you all is that you don't waste your life. This life doesn't last long. Think eternal instead of temporal. Living for Christ's glory in and of itself will make you happy and is where true joy is.
No comments:
Post a Comment