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Student Diaries: Strength to walk away

Posted by Olivia Kelley on Mar 17, 2017 6:03:21 PM

Kelly Boyer headshot.jpgby Kelly Boyer

On March 7th, a group of us met Daniel and Carol Ketchum, good friends of both Tim and Shawna Gaines, who are ministers here in Jerusalem. They took us down to an old indoor mall not too far from the Old City; they told us that it had  previously been filled with shops and vendors doing unspeakable things. Now they were making an impact on the community by leading and establishing ministries that made things better: film and music schools, counseling centers, and a prayer floor - to name a few. But out of all the things that were said that day, this one thing is stuck in my mind.

When Daniel was still in the States working with the Nazarene Church, he was a prominent leader. He was involved in almost everything at one time or another, but he kept saying this phrase while he was there: "I love what I do and God has called me here. But do not be surprised when God calls me away into prayer ministry." No one took him seriously at first, but as time went on they believed him, and now he is doing exactly that.

I've been thinking about my life so far. So often I've been worried about things. In particular, I've been worried that I will be forced away from the call God has placed within me, away from the place I've called home, away from my friends and colleagues, away from the things I have come to dearly love.

How can one be willing to walk away from something so significant, prominent, important, and stable?

The answer is simple: one must trust in God with all their being. But that's easier said than done. How is it that one can be able to do this, knowing that there will be uncertainty? Change is inevitable, this is true, and uncertainty of the best path forward is imminent. But how can people live in peace with this?

I've heard the sermons and read the Scriptures about worry, but that alone doesn't change my outlook. Perhaps this goes deeper than that.

We have been called to die to ourselves and with that our own paths, wants, desires, and hopes. We know that God has called us on a path, that we are to follow in God's ways. For God's ways are better than our ways and God's thoughts are higher than our thoughts.

Perhaps all this is a part of picking up our cross and following God. That by God's grace and the Holy Spirit re-shaping us and leading us, then crazy things begin to happen. After all, this is where God often works - in the things we think are crazy and unnatural.

So how do we begin to trust God with all we are? Let the Holy Spirit mold you and guide you forward. Trust in God's peace and timing. Know that change is coming and be willing to walk away. But above all, trust that God's call and God's promises are real and true.

It's not an easy road. Neither was the path to the cross. But it is the path God calls us to walk, the path that is filled with God's promise.

The road towards this lifestyle will be tough but I know I will be better for it. Knowing that God is with me and that I am not complete but a work in progress shaped by grace, I will strive to live in this mindset. The God who has called me is faithful and God will help me do this.

And so I have found a new path to follow:

"I love what I do. God has called me here. But do not be surprised when one day God calls me elsewhere and away from here. When that day comes, I will be ready to follow, no matter what."

These are powerful words to live by, let alone speak. But we serve a powerful God, one who walks with us and makes this possible.