This week's epiphany...

For the first time in my life, I think I know (more or less) what I want to be when I "grow up."

This isn't to say that I'm dead-set on my future; I know things could change at any time, and I'm open to that. But I finally have a sort of direction that I didn't at all have this time last week. I can't believe I never seriously considered it before...

I was sitting in my professor's office last Thursday because I had some questions for him about seminary (when I walked into his office, I was leaning more toward 'no' than anything else, but was trying to be open). Anyway, the things he said about his own experience at seminary put my mind at ease. He asked me what I wanted to do after I graduat from here, and since I had no idea, I just told him about what I see as my gifts, and what I'm passionate about.

When I finished talking he said, "You know you completely described your ideal job, right?" Yeah...I had no clue what I had described. And he said to me, "Erin, look - you know that you'll be working with the Body of Christ, discipling them. You love to teach/preach, but don't have a desire to be a pastor of a church. You love pushing people to think and challenging them in their relationships with Christ. You love college but know you're not designed to be a professor...You just totally described a campus minister."

Holy crap...why had I never seriously considered that before?

It makes sense. I've been thinking and praying about it a lot, and I'm going to just listen and be obedient. But now I have a direction to start walking in. Yep...that means that while I've been fighting with the idea of seminary for three years now, I've come to the point where I really, really want to go. I want to learn more, be challenged, and broaden my horizons. Instead of freaking out about it, I'm really excited.

I don't know what's ahead, but I have a bit of direction and a lot of encouragement. I didn't know how refreshing that could be; wow...