Vocational Sweetness

We are just now finishing up our Career and Vocation class, and though it was a lot of work and a lot of writing, I learned a lot about ministry,  myself, and who God has made me to be. During the course of this class we met with camp coordinators and ministry folks to F-16 pilots and FBI agents. The diversity was clear, and it was amazing hanging out with a wide range of people and hearing their stories and advice. Since it's late and I'm exhausted, I'm just going to give you the top five things that I learned:
1. "The truth is fine." Rick Poplin, the F-16 pilot, said this phrase over and over during our time together. He encouraged us to not exaggerate any of our situations, good or bad, because in the end, the truth about us, who we are, who God is, and our lives, is enough. We don't need to lie about little insignificant things to boost our ego. We don't need to make ourselves feel worse, or better, really, about something than it really is, because at the end of the day, our reality is enough to sustain us.
2. You don't have to be a super outgoing, energetic, upbeat person to lead in ministry. Dave Jewitt taught me this one without even trying. I've struggled with this a lot in the past few years because I have known for a fact that God has been calling me to ministry, and I felt like because I didn't like talking to large masses of people, or leading people with a loud voice, that I wasn't going to fit into the mold of what someone in ministry needs to be. Talking with Dave encouraged me to use my strengths, and to not try to be like someone I'm not. I can be my chill, quirky, slightly introverted self, and still be used by God to effect the masses.
3. Kinda like the last one, God uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things. Dr. Kyle Jones was apparently at some point just an average guy. He didn't stand out in the crowd, which is hard for me to believe considering that now he is building bridges between warring tribes in Africa through medicine. Kyle basically has my dream job. He is a doctor of family medicine in a small hospital in Africa. He is amazing. It was incredible for me to just sit across the table from him, so when I was told that this guy is slightly introverted, never top of his class, or the big man on campus, it was a little bit unbelievable for me. It just goes to show that God makes us ordinary people extraordinary, and through us does unbelievable things.
4. Our God is always faithful when we are acting within our calling. When we met with Denise McKinney  she told us what it is like to be a woman in ministry. She told us of her struggles as she went from one church to the other turning in applications with no responses. She said that she knew that God had called her to do this ministry, and though it seemed hopeless, she wasn't going to give up. After months of job searching Denise finally walked into the church that would soon hire her to do exactly what she wanted. God knew what He had planned for her, it just took patience. Patience is one of the things I've always had a hard time learning. I want to know that God is taking care of me right this very minute. I don't like the mystery. I don't want to wait, but at the end of the day, God is still there, faithful as ever, always working for my good. 
5. Gifts turn into passion, and passion turns into calling. Tom taught me to do what I love and to let God take control and guide me toward my calling. He taught me to continue to follow after Christ, and do the things that inspire me and to let God guide me, and push me in ways that nobody else can. Listening to Christ, was a huge factor in this, and he reminded us to continue to listen for His voice and follow our hearts within reason.