A Spark

A requirement. That’s what I saw it as. I tried so hard to want to attend all 8 of the Missions Conference requirements with a willing, joyful heart, but at the midpoint of a semester, the pressure of homework made it difficult for me to focus. Besides, missions wasn’t where God was calling me.

Or was I?

An impossible dream. All 50 states? A year away? Yeah right. Since childhood I’ve loved “sets” of things. When I see something that I says “Collect Them All” or has “Kit” in the title, I have always had to restrain myself from buying it. Seeing all the areas of the country fit into that same category. I had to deny myself this dream.

Or did I?

            One text changed my entire mindset. “You have to come to this talk tomorrow! A guy is talking about traveling around the US doing missions!”  Maybe God had something in this conference after all. Suddenly this dream stirring in my heart and this conference had a connection that only God could construct.

            I entered the session with a sense of expectancy. With surprise, I realized that I knew the man who was leading the talk! He had been in a few of my Bible classes in previous semesters. His view often differed from mine during class discussions. I hesitated. Should I have come? The pamphlet was about PREACHING around the country. Not my passion or feeling of calling. Slight panic hit me. Maybe I shouldn’t stay. Maybe this was a mistake. Yet I felt a need to stay.

            The opening prayer was…different…and I fought the desire to run of the room. I squirmed in my seat. Why did God bring me here?!

            Yet as he began to speak, a spark was lit. Preaching was still not for me (unless God completely changed my heart!). But I could serve people in a different way. THAT was something that filled me with excitement! Maybe, just maybe, my desire to travel around the country wasn’t just a selfish desire created by me. Perhaps GOD had put that desire into my heart…and it was time that I let Him have it. 

            At the time, all I knew was that God was about do something bigger than me. Little did I know just how big!