The Big Picture and a Holy Ambition

I have for some strange reason a desire to be able to write eloquently, but instead of worrying over that I'm going to just give you guys the picture of what's been going on in my life.

I am not a dreadfully exciting person. I don't always like to look for adventures. If you are looking for this kind of person go watch Bear Grylls on Man vs. Wild. He seems to know how to adventure properly.

If you watch Lost I would say I'm like Bernard. They are on the island living life with everyone else, but when all that crazy stuff happens him and Rose disappear for a while. They aren't part of all the tension and plot building.

I am in school. I was doing Chemical Engineering, but I decided to switch majors. I like science, but I don't want to be applying science to develop solutions for mankind. I'd much rather talk with people about science. I don't want to make a chemical process more efficient. I want to see people grow, and connect with them. This is why I am working towards a BA in Chemistry, which I love, and hopefully in about 2 to 5 years teaching it in high school.

I think back to my years in high school and even think about my brother who is in high school right now, and see that high school can seem like the longest period in a young person's life because it is the first time where that person is working toward a final end goal. The high school diploma.

But working for a diploma is boring. It's just a piece of paper, but it is important. That paper tells people that you accomplished something and that you are semi-trustworthy in completing other things. It means you worked toward something with motivation to finish.

It is interesting to me that I am now stuck at that point. This semester was a lot about seeking a motivation, looking for a purpose.

This searching has been happening in my academics, but it has also been happening in other areas of my life.

At a conference in Minneapolis over winter break this past December/January, John Piper, a pastor, came and spoke on searching for our Holy Ambition. He narrowed in on a passage of the Bible, Acts 13 where it describes how Barnabas and Paul (Saul) are first commissioned to go on a missionary journey. It says, "One day as these men were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, 'Dedicate Barnabas and Saul for the special work to which I have called them.' So after more fasting and prayer, the men laid their hands on them and sent them on their way."

I am no longer a high school student getting a diploma, so what John Piper was talking about hit home for me. I am no longer a child. So, this semester there have been times where I can say I have been seeking God. Because of community and encouragement from others and a conviction building up in my life, I have been reading the Bible more, and spending time in prayer more often.

My first desire is pretty much summed up in Psalm 5:8. It says "Lead me in the right path, O Lord, or my enemies will conquer me. Make your way plain for me to follow."
I feel like a fairly simple person, and so my desire is that God would show me clearly what He wants me to do, and I have faith that because He is sovereign and faithful He will at the right times show me what I should do next.

A little back story, I have been able to meet many foreign exchange students here at U of Iowa, and have seen God change these student's lives. They are wonderful friends to me, and I appreciate meeting them. Also, I have felt that the times where I've grown the most, and needed to trust God the most have been times where I've been in transition or just done something completely out of my comfort zone.

Because of these things, I was pleasantly surprised when a couple things happened. A leader for a missions trip to a country which I'll call East Asia, which I hope makes you think of the largest country in Asia, called me. He challenged me to consider coming with him on a "summer project." A mission trip.

Next, one day I was reading Genesis, and came across this verse about Abraham in chapter 12. "The Lord said to Abram, 'Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father's family, and go to the land that I will show you. I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.'"

Now, around that time I had been praying and asking God to show me the path He wanted me to go down. I wanted that path to be shown to me plain and simple. I don't know what to think of it, but I feel like this passage is very applicable to me. Not everything taken literally of course, but yeah a lot of it is applicable. Leave your native country (get out of your comfort zone), leave your family ( =( makes me sad to leave them), go to the land that I will show you (East Asia???), I will make you into a great nation (through the Gospel?), I will bless you, families will be blessed through me.

I think this is the most plain this sort of thing has been made to me, so that's why I choose to go. Plus, I trust if God wants me to go He will provide in every way. (Money, health, courage, grace, faith)

Basically, through all these things I know that God has a plan for me. He wants me to trust in Him, sometimes He even wants me to step out in faith.

I don't know what else God has in store for me, but I think that I because of His faithfulness in showing me grace I will be able to continue searching for His plan. I think God is truly giving me an adventure. He's allowing me to be swept up in something with purpose. It's like a story, that I get to be involved with, and I'm really glad that I'm not the main character.

Peace!