I'm a sucker for a good story. Well-written books? I lap them up. Skilled storytellers? I'm enthralled with their every anecdote. The best narrators can recount a trip to the grocery store and make it sound like the most epic adventure that you're sad to have missed. Two days later, you’re telling the tale to others. Because that’s the nature of stories – you share them. Storytelling is a true gift, and the best storyteller has got to be the One who gave the gift. God has penned a cosmic-sized story, and I'm pretty sure He loves humor more than all of us. I can't look at my journey so far and say God doesn't have a healthy appreciation for irony. Personally, I’ve never considered myself a good storyteller, but God has written some stories into my life that are worth sharing, so I’ll take a crack at it:
I never wanted to be a missionary. Instead, I wanted to be a singer. To go on American Idol was my dream from age 9, and I was fully intent on going through with it. That is, until one day when I was walking in our backyard during high school. Daydreaming about my future fame, I suddenly and very clearly heard God tell me, "You are never going to be famous." Well, that stopped me in my tracks. I stood there for a moment, processing 1) that I had just heard the Holy Spirit and 2) the implicit command I knew was there: "Don't pursue singing as a career." I took a minute to weigh this 6-7 year dream against a direct revelation from God, then shrugged and went "ok". It deflated me but I let it go, now having no real plans for the future.
Fast forward to the summer before college, and I learn for the first time about the devastating enormity of modern-day slavery and the brutality of sex trafficking. It absolutely broke my heart, and I felt I needed to do something. Never before had I felt so strongly about an issue; it was like a fire being lit. I spent college learning about the problem, attending trainings, and doing awareness campaigns with the school, all the while trying to see where I could fit in the anti-trafficking picture. At the same time, God was teaching me about Himself. For the first time, I really got what God's plan was for His followers and His church. Missions aren't about the spiritual and isolated Christian elite, but about all of God's people working to make His name, His glory, His power, and His love known everywhere, to everyone. This means I don't have the option to opt out, and when I really looked at how lost the world is and how desperately Christ is needed, I no longer wanted to. For the second time, I felt a life-changing conviction and passion, and knew I needed to go. Didn't know where or when or how, but I was going.
Fast forward again, and I am now a graduate who has watched God create and then blend two burning passions into one work. Looking back, I see His hand and laugh with joy. My plan was to make my own voice heard; now I'll work to make the voices of the exploited and forgotten heard. My hope was to be known widely; now I revel in His renown and work for His ever-increasing fame. It’s a privilege to play a role in the story God is writing! I was never that good of a singer anyway.