Secure

 Here is an essay prompt and response I had in my Kinesiology class this week. While it's not my best work, I enjoyed summarizing my time and vision gained from spending a few semesters at A&M. Here's a little glimpse about the things God has taught me and prepared me for!

"Where will you be in regards to your career or education in 3-5 years? What are your short/long-term goals? How will you utilize your education and skill sets to accomplish your goals?"

            There are many places I could be in three to five years. In some respects, this is incredibly frightening; however, I choose to see my unknown future as an open terrain for God to use. Looking to God for direction in my academics, work, and life after Texas A&M University has been one way He has fostered a deeper faith in me.
            Honestly speaking, I entered Texas A&M with every intention and goal of spending two years at the main college, then two years at the nearby Texas A&M Health Science Center where I would obtain a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. I had settled on this career track because, as a high school graduate, I needed something to strive towards. I knew that I thrive amongst others, enjoy health sciences, and love getting to interact and help people face-to-face. Nursing was the first thing that came to mind, and the job security in this field helped calm my nerves about my looming future. Having mapped my life (as far as I was concerned), I came to Texas A&M with the temporary major of General Studies.
            All this being said, there was a lot of learning and growth outside the classroom that I had not anticipated during my Freshman year of college. God opened my eyes to many things, including a broader purpose for my time at Texas A&M, a higher calling over my life than living for self and future financial comfort, and a deeper love for Him and the way He changes lives. I got to know how He offers peace amongst family financial issues back home, and saw His provision for tuition so I could continue attending college. I learned about Jesus Christ – a lot – and how through His sacrifice I can have real life. I got to know what it means to talk with Him and let Him change my heart, one day at a time. God opened my eyes to the criteria of self-competency I had established for myself; how without Him I’m pretty crummy, yet with Him there’s freedom from constantly struggling towards perfection for my own sake.

            I’ve learned that He is incredibly patient with me – more than I would even be with myself. I saw Him move in my friendships, and how dynamic and genuine it was to know people in this intimately spiritual way. Perhaps most notably for my future, I learned about how God doesn’t call me to only receive His blessings and grace, but how it naturally compels a loving desire to reach out to all who are around me. Simply put: if I know the peace, freedom, and love that was shown to me in Jesus Christ, it’s quite selfish to keep that from others.

            Needless to say, these life lessons I have been learning have changed a thing or two about my future aspirations. After my freshman year, I decided to continue for the full four years at Texas A&M and graduate with a degree in Sociology before (potentially) continuing on to pursue a Nursing degree. As a junior with two years left, I’m still entertaining the thought of completing an expedited academic track of Nursing after graduation. Practically speaking, I have been taking prerequisite courses in preparation for applying to nursing programs. However, there are multiple other options that I could see myself doing as well. For instance, I think kids are fantastic, and have found my heart “wakes up” when faced with the fatherless and broken. Additionally, God has fostered a weird, unexplainable interest in Eastern Europe through various encounters and life moments. Having visited Ukraine, then Russia during two previous summers, I could see myself living and serving God overseas in an area like this.

            While I don’t know how it might happen, I think I would be quite satisfied to work overseas in an orphanage or with an adoption agency, providing “health” care (albeit through physical or spiritual support) to youth. Perhaps I will be the clinical aid to such an organization, or maybe I’ll become a traveling nurse overseas. As far as I can tell, there are a lot of possibilities! My degree in Sociology would be aptly used for any such career like this, whether I formally go into nursing after graduation or pursue other avenues.
            While I don’t have any more of a concrete idea of where I would like to go after graduating from Texas A&M than when I entered, I can say that being at Texas A&M has taught me a lot about myself, God, and my purpose. In some respects, my future career is more defined as far as my interests, skills, and preparedness goes, and yet I am also more aware of how many possibilities and directions God could take me. I am eager to serve God, share the love of Christ with others, and to see what future He has in store. While it is still quite unknown, I am secure knowing God is calling the shots. He has proven Himself trustworthy thus far, and I can rest knowing He is trustworthy still.