Do you ever wonder why you are going through what you are going through? In college, I decided to be a student missionary in Hawaii since I was considering being an art teacher at the time. I was an art teacher assistant, a chef, a janitor, a driver, a dean (and more). I soon realized that I was not cut out to be an art teacher or a dean. I was wondering why God had sent me there. I thought He wanted me to be a teacher!
During my last month in Hawaii, I visited Sea Life Park and saw people training dolphins. And I thought: “People get paid for this? What am I doing with my life?” I realized my passions were water, people, and animals. So, I focused on working toward a career that would cater to all three of those passions.
I then continued at Southern Adventist University, and my goal was to graduate as soon as I could with an education in biology. I wanted to be able to start working at an aquarium. One summer, I came to visit a family friend at Monterey Bay Academy. We went scuba diving, and he showed me his classroom with a huge saltwater tank and animals everywhere. I thought: “If I were ever a teacher, I would want my classroom to look just like this.” A few months before I graduated, there was a job position open at MBA for their biology department. They were looking for someone who could scuba dive, loved working with kids, and could teach biology! Bingo.
There are so many more details to my story that I cannot fit here, but they are all details that make me believe without a doubt that God has worked in every aspect to prepare me for my calling here. When I was in Hawaii, I questioned God: “Why is this difficult? Why did You put me through this?” Now I see that God led me to experiences and places that I needed to be to find His calling and to live it to the best of my ability. It is okay to not know what the next step is, but trust that God is going to use everything well. When you look back on your life, can you see where God has led in your life? “And we know that all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28). NIV
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