|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
Print My college career is drawing to an end. I have worked my tail off to finish early, but now I am feeling a tinge of sadness as I contemplate the last three years of my life. They have been incredible years of growth for me. I know that it is in part due to my age, but I feel that I have been allotted some extra experiences to enhance my vision. We recently had graduation for my church school. This is the last year it will be in operation, so it was sad to see it close. As I watched those graduates walk down the aisle, I couldn’t help but reminisce on my graduation and the expectations I had for life. I had these grandiose ideas that everything would be perfect because I had it all planned. Boy, was I wrong! As I sat there watching them, I wanted to share some lessons that I’ve learned during my college career.
Show Up I missed out on a plethora of information because I skipped out. All of my older, and obviously not-so-wise, friends said that you never have to show up. Well, I listened. This command is also meant to be a life lesson. We miss out on so many experiences in life because we simply just don’t show up. For whatever reason, we hang back. Maybe someone said it’s not worth it, maybe we are too lazy, maybe our insecurities get in the way. Who knows? I found out that the times I really wanted to skip out but showed up anyway were times that had a profound impact on me.
Expand Your Horizons So many of us have limited experiences outside of our own little world. I had been given opportunities to travel as a kid, but my people mentality was still sheltered. I always considered myself an open-minded person, but that was truly tested when I moved out on my own and away from my hometown. I always thought that people in positions of leadership, in any aspect of life, were generally moral people. My mindset was tested because my idea of a moral person was tested. I began to look at society’s idea of moral and how and why that came to be. This changed my ideas. I thought that everyone had to fit into this little box. I felt that moral meant the same for everyone, so, when people didn’t fit that mold, naturally they were heathen sinners who were doomed for hell (not really). Obviously I was wrong. I learned to look at people in the context of their world. How they were raised and what they had experienced had a lot to do with how they reacted to situations. The same thing, I began to see, was true for me and everyone else, for that matter. Though I might not have agreed with some of their actions, I could now somewhat understand them.
Never Say Never Growing up, I would hear stories about people and I would often think, and sometimes say, “I would never do that.” This single statement turned out to be the most ridiculous thing I have ever said. The fact of the matter is that I could say that because I hadn’t been put in some of the same situations. When I did find myself faced with those problems, though I was able to stand firm, I developed an understanding of how people could come to make those decisions. Don’t judge someone else’s decisions. Jesus said, “Judge not, that ye may not be judged” (Matthew 7:1). With life experience, these words took on a different meaning for me.
Ministry is Two-sided This, perhaps, was the greatest lesson I learned. God blessed me with a great job. I prayed that I wouldn’t even get an offer until it was where God wanted me. See, I knew that I could work anywhere, but I also knew that God strategically places us where He wants us so we can do His work. I got this awesome job and I immediately began a Bible study. I knew God had laid some things on my heart to share with these people, but I soon found that He used them in so many ways to share things with me. The spiritual growth I’ve experienced these past few years has been primarily because I took the time to get to know people I would not normally have known and my vision was changed. Don’t think that just because you are ministering to people that the action can’t be reciprocated. God uses unexpected people in our lives to bless us and open our eyes to things that we normally wouldn’t see. ninetyandnine.com © 2004, Haley Vest --------- Haley Vest is a full-time student working hard to graduate. She has many hobbies and interests but she is so busy with school she doesn't have time for any of them.
|
|
contact information: |
