Following God's Will

Well my absence has been a very long one indeed. Has it been 6 months since my last post?? I can't even remember! What a crazy, wild ride the past few months have been though. I have witnessed significant growth within myself through out this whole year really. Studying abroad is always a life changing experience, but the months after have been just as impactful.

I guess I'm just stalling at this point because I'm not really sure necessarily what I want to write about in this blog post. I see it as obligatory, given my lengthy absence. I guess I'll go in the direction of listen to God's direction in one's life though, since that is something that has been impacting me the most recently.

I feel as though listening to God is different for everyone. For some, He speak to them through images. For other people, God speaks to them through the mouths of family and trusted friends. For me though, God speaks to me through peace. Where I feel the most peace is where God is calling me. That is what happened to me two years ago. (Oh lordy, did this story really happen two years ago already????)

I was at Camp Hebron on New Years day, celebrating with fellow summer staff members at our "Staff Reunion". While I was there I knew for sure that I was going to be at camp the next summer. I had it all planned out after all. I would start before my senior year of High school, and I would work at camp until the summer before my senior year of college. Godd plan right? Sure it is. And I know many other people who in fact worked at Camp joyfully for 5 years, (or 10 in some cases. *cough cough* Caleb *cough*) and God blessed them immensely through that. However, it was not in the cards for me. Despite all my best laid plans, God had other ideas.

Getting back to the story. I had my interview for the upcoming summer with Curt, then the Summer Staff Director, and I felt pretty confident that Camp was where God wanted me....kind of. I went thorugh the rest of the night enjoying the company of the many dear friends I had made over the previous 3 summers. I went to bed with much bliss in my heart. However, the next morning I woke up and began to truly think, "Is camp where God wants me this summer?" Throughout the rest of the morning and afternoon I began doubting that I was supposed to be at camp. Something didn't feel right. I was not at peace. As I was driving away from Camp Hebron I thought back to the end of my first summer in 2010. That memory was one of my older brother and Sister talking to me. They had just finished their final summers at Camp Hebron. My sister turned back to me and said, "It's weird to think that I'm never going to be coming back here as a summer staff member."

Getting back to the actual story (Sorry I keep trailing off), I thought of what my sister had said three years prior and it struck me that I was experiencing that same feeling. I knew that then and there, I would not be coming back to Camp Hebron as a summer staff member that next summer, if ever.

Because of that decision I ended up being the youth intern at Ashburn Presbyterian Church, where I grew immensely and gave me so much valuable experience in the field of youth ministry. I spent the next two summers working at Ashburn. The crazy thing is, when I first heard about the internship at Ashburn, I felt an immediate peace about that being where God wanted me to be. And it absolutely, 100% was where God wanted me to be. No questions about it.

I'm not saying that god would not have used me just as much at Camp Hebron as in Ashburn, but I know that it was incredibly beneficial for me to be in Ashburn the last two summers.

That being said, following where God's will is leading you is so incredibly worth it. It is really scary at times. Sometimes He will take you into a situation that is so terribly unknown to you. But the growth that comes from it is what makes it, in the end, worth it. I would then urge you to discover just how God speaks to you. When you have, listen for those times when He does speak to you, then follow what He says. Like I've said so many times in this post, it is worth it.

Blessings,
Snades