It was mid-semester of my senior year of college, and I was pleased with my life plan for the next five years. I was going to apply for Teach For America, work in a low-income school for two years, meet my future spouse (who would also be a teacher), get married, and settle in LA where we’d start a family.
My friend and mentor Jenny asked me about post-graduation, so I filled her in on my plan. She suggested that I possibly work for the college ministry that I was a part of. No thanks, I told her, without actually seriously considering it. It didn’t fit with the direction I envisioned my life taking.
Apparently life didn’t sign on to my plan, because it started throwing unexpected events my way.
After sending in what I thought was a stellar and guaranteed application to the Teach For America program, I received a polite letter from them in the mail. “Thank you for applying to our program. Unfortunately…” Plans rerouted.
That same day, I bumped into three different people, who all said basically the same thing as Jenny had. They thought I should work in college ministry, because, in their words, it seemed like a “great fit for me.” After the third person said that to me, I began to pause. Maybe my life plan needed a little tinkering.
I ended up working with the college ministry for over a decade. It was one of the most foundational seasons of my life, filled with personal growth, joy in my work, and partnership with people who are some of my greatest friends. Oh, and I met my future husband.
My friend and mentor Jenny asked me about post-graduation, so I filled her in on my plan. She suggested that I possibly work for the college ministry that I was a part of. No thanks, I told her, without actually seriously considering it. It didn’t fit with the direction I envisioned my life taking.
Apparently life didn’t sign on to my plan, because it started throwing unexpected events my way.
After sending in what I thought was a stellar and guaranteed application to the Teach For America program, I received a polite letter from them in the mail. “Thank you for applying to our program. Unfortunately…” Plans rerouted.
That same day, I bumped into three different people, who all said basically the same thing as Jenny had. They thought I should work in college ministry, because, in their words, it seemed like a “great fit for me.” After the third person said that to me, I began to pause. Maybe my life plan needed a little tinkering.
I ended up working with the college ministry for over a decade. It was one of the most foundational seasons of my life, filled with personal growth, joy in my work, and partnership with people who are some of my greatest friends. Oh, and I met my future husband.
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