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.
