I first came to Washington, D.C. as the last of August was dying down. On September 6, I showed up for my first day of work at the United States Marshals Service Headquarters. That was the first of a great many experiences that I have had in the first 1.5 months here. I have had a great time working for the USMS, seeing my hard work making its way about the agency and hearing from many people that I will go far. I have learned a lot about myself, and with that new-found knowledge came a great many new questions.
Early on in my internship, a man who I had only met in passing walked into my boss's office where he and I were talking. This guy looks at my boss and says, "He's being recruited." My boss goes, "Oh I know he is, he just doesn't know it yet." Just like that. I mentioned that no one had offered me a job yet, but that I would be looking into different opportunities while I was here. He says, "No, no, that's not what I meant. You're being recruited by God to His army." Can you say holy crap! All summer, and for the past several, I've had people telling me that I would make a great minister. I have to admit, I sort of shrugged these off, thinking there was no way I could do this and people were just trying to make me feel good. When a complete stranger says it to you, it really makes you take a step back and take another look at things.
This past week, I have really been struggling with what it is I will do when I graduate in December. Time is ticking, and the closer December looms, the faster the clock seems to go. I have really been considering going to seminary, and have begun an application to Ashland for the Fall 2012 semester. We will see what happens throughout the next two months, but I am sure it will be full of excitement and (hopefully) answers. I read a quote the other day that talked about how God's timing is perfect, but it may differ greatly from our timing. Combined with Jeremiah 29:11-13, these have become words to remind me to keep going about my daily business but to keep my heart open and listen for God to speak. Things may be rough/questionable/down/etc, but God knows what He is doing and has a plan for each and every one of us. At one point or another, as long as we are open and listening for God to call upon us, we will figure out what that plan is, and we will see that the timing was, indeed, perfect.
As I write this, there are seven days between now and next week when I will get on a plane and fly back to Ohio and the Good 'Ole HC! Trust me, never before have I wanted to be in the Buckeye state as bad as I do right now. DC has given me some great experiences that I would not have been able to have anywhere else, but at the moment, I feel as though my next step will rely heavily on where I come from and how I came up. There are many questions, and there will be many answers. In the meantime, it is important to just sit back, enjoy the lives we were given, and to take things one day at a time, trusting in the Lord to get us through our trials.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Friday, April 8, 2011
The Return to Cyberspace
So I know I'm not in the Land Down Under anymore, but I figured I'd give this a shot again. I'm in my senior year at Ohio Northern University in the bustling metropolis that is Ada, and what a year it has been. I recorded my first ever 4.0 of my college career, finished off a term as Treasurer, served as President of College Republicans, had shoulder surgery, was chosen to join two honoraries, and got accepted into an internship program in Washington, DC. It is hard to believe that the time has come for me to start thinking about life after college. It feels as though I am faced with that question everyday now that time is winding down, and by winding down I mean I have five weeks left before I'm done with my undergraduate classes. Thankfully, the employers I have worked for the last two or three years have accepted me back for another year, so I will have something to do between finishing classes and heading off to DC. That is another thing, I am slightly perturbed by the fact that I will not be able to walk at graduation, but that is another story.
This summer promises to be a packed one. I have a trip planned to Tennessee with several of my high school friends for a week, then I'll be joining a fabulous group from Martins Creek and Walnut Creek Mennonite Churches as we head to Mongolia for two weeks where we will be working on a Habitat for Humanity type of project. I am really looking forward to this trip. I have heard so much about the experiences of those who have gone before me (specifically my employers lol) and cannot wait to delve into the experience myself. I have had the privilege of going on other missions trips, but I cannot fathom the experience awaiting us on the other side of the world. Coincidentally, I have been on the other side of the world already, but this time around the situation will be quite different to say the least. Enough about that for now, there will probably be more to come in the coming weeks. Upon my return from Mongolia, I will be headed to Orlando for a few days for our Fraternity's national convention that takes place every two years. After that, it'll be back to work for a few weeks before heading to DC to complete the last part of my undergrad studies. I will be interning through the Washington Center, which is a program that places students into a wide variety of internships throughout many government agencies in our nation's great capital. It is this last part that has me feeling particularly stressed out. As I finish up my senior project this quarter and get ready to leave ONU, the fact remains that it is time to join the real world come December.
Upon the completion of the internship, I will be a graduate of Ohio Northern University and have no idea what I am going to do with my life. I have had such a fulfilling and successful college career, and I wish nothing more than to continue that legacy into my life as a college grad. Thankfully, I was reading another blog, find it by clicking here. She was talking about how she was worried that she wasn't doing enough in life to make an impact, until she realized that she was impacting her little corner of the world in her own way. That is what is important to realize: we are all impacting our little corners of the earth, whether we can see results or not. No matter what we do in life, we are not here to satisfy our own desires, we are here to serve God, and perform the duties that he has set in store for us. I feel as though it is almost impossible for us to remember this as our lives become so congested with clutter, but it is in those quiet moments when we really listen that we can hear something happening. We have all been put on this planet for a reason, even though we may not know what that reason is for until we are well on in years.
I've also realized that a good deal of life has to do with taking chances. I have been watching the show "How I Met Your Mother" and heard a great quote on one of the episodes:
"Doesn't being scared let you know you’re on to something important? If you’re not scared, you’re not taking a chance. And if you’re not taking a chance, then what the heck are you doing?" Why should we ever be comfortable with our lives? Life is all about venturing into the unknown with the knowledge that we can indeed get hurt along the way. But if we never venture out of our comfort zones, how will we ever know what is truly out there? You should never let past experiences keep you from venturing, because each new experience has its own set of circumstances. You could miss out on the perfect job opportunity, the "one", or the chance to truly see something amazing. And you know what, we have the power to overcome our anguish if we do get hurt. For me, the thrill of the unknown supersedes the ordinary. Even as I write this, I feel as though I am eating my own words because lately I have not been as adventurous as I have been. I have gotten into the mindset of just wanting to concentrate on school, without looking at the different opportunities that could be waiting for me. I am going to make this an ultimatum for myself in the coming year: take more chances and listen to what God is calling me to do. I don't need to start worrying yet; I know what I'm doing through December so it is pointless to start worrying now. The coming months will certainly be very exciting. All I need to do now is get through the last five weeks of school so I will at least be done here.
I feel I have done a great deal of rambling on in this post, but there was a lot I needed to get out there. Hopefully you were able to follow along. For now that is all, it's beginning to get a little late out here and class starts at 11 so I should be getting off to bed. These last parting words: be the change you want to see in the world, the best things in life never come easy, and you are impacting your small corner of the world everyday, whether you actually know it or not.
PS: found another quote to add - Start living now. Stop saving the good china for that special occasion. Stop withholding your love until that special person materializes. Every day you are alive is a special occasion. Every minute, every breath, is a gift from God.
This summer promises to be a packed one. I have a trip planned to Tennessee with several of my high school friends for a week, then I'll be joining a fabulous group from Martins Creek and Walnut Creek Mennonite Churches as we head to Mongolia for two weeks where we will be working on a Habitat for Humanity type of project. I am really looking forward to this trip. I have heard so much about the experiences of those who have gone before me (specifically my employers lol) and cannot wait to delve into the experience myself. I have had the privilege of going on other missions trips, but I cannot fathom the experience awaiting us on the other side of the world. Coincidentally, I have been on the other side of the world already, but this time around the situation will be quite different to say the least. Enough about that for now, there will probably be more to come in the coming weeks. Upon my return from Mongolia, I will be headed to Orlando for a few days for our Fraternity's national convention that takes place every two years. After that, it'll be back to work for a few weeks before heading to DC to complete the last part of my undergrad studies. I will be interning through the Washington Center, which is a program that places students into a wide variety of internships throughout many government agencies in our nation's great capital. It is this last part that has me feeling particularly stressed out. As I finish up my senior project this quarter and get ready to leave ONU, the fact remains that it is time to join the real world come December.
Upon the completion of the internship, I will be a graduate of Ohio Northern University and have no idea what I am going to do with my life. I have had such a fulfilling and successful college career, and I wish nothing more than to continue that legacy into my life as a college grad. Thankfully, I was reading another blog, find it by clicking here. She was talking about how she was worried that she wasn't doing enough in life to make an impact, until she realized that she was impacting her little corner of the world in her own way. That is what is important to realize: we are all impacting our little corners of the earth, whether we can see results or not. No matter what we do in life, we are not here to satisfy our own desires, we are here to serve God, and perform the duties that he has set in store for us. I feel as though it is almost impossible for us to remember this as our lives become so congested with clutter, but it is in those quiet moments when we really listen that we can hear something happening. We have all been put on this planet for a reason, even though we may not know what that reason is for until we are well on in years.
I've also realized that a good deal of life has to do with taking chances. I have been watching the show "How I Met Your Mother" and heard a great quote on one of the episodes:
"Doesn't being scared let you know you’re on to something important? If you’re not scared, you’re not taking a chance. And if you’re not taking a chance, then what the heck are you doing?" Why should we ever be comfortable with our lives? Life is all about venturing into the unknown with the knowledge that we can indeed get hurt along the way. But if we never venture out of our comfort zones, how will we ever know what is truly out there? You should never let past experiences keep you from venturing, because each new experience has its own set of circumstances. You could miss out on the perfect job opportunity, the "one", or the chance to truly see something amazing. And you know what, we have the power to overcome our anguish if we do get hurt. For me, the thrill of the unknown supersedes the ordinary. Even as I write this, I feel as though I am eating my own words because lately I have not been as adventurous as I have been. I have gotten into the mindset of just wanting to concentrate on school, without looking at the different opportunities that could be waiting for me. I am going to make this an ultimatum for myself in the coming year: take more chances and listen to what God is calling me to do. I don't need to start worrying yet; I know what I'm doing through December so it is pointless to start worrying now. The coming months will certainly be very exciting. All I need to do now is get through the last five weeks of school so I will at least be done here.
I feel I have done a great deal of rambling on in this post, but there was a lot I needed to get out there. Hopefully you were able to follow along. For now that is all, it's beginning to get a little late out here and class starts at 11 so I should be getting off to bed. These last parting words: be the change you want to see in the world, the best things in life never come easy, and you are impacting your small corner of the world everyday, whether you actually know it or not.
PS: found another quote to add - Start living now. Stop saving the good china for that special occasion. Stop withholding your love until that special person materializes. Every day you are alive is a special occasion. Every minute, every breath, is a gift from God.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)