Three Weeks Ago, 2010 Began

How are we already three weeks into 2010?

I have much to say on New Year's and such, but somehow I have been swallowed up by tests, statistics and breakfast dates. This year, 2010, has always seemed a long way off and now that it's here, it is hard to grasp. On Christmas Eve, my family discussed what the year would look like for us and I can sum it up in five words: ONE STEP AT A TIME.

We are all in different stages of life, discovering new passions and wondering what to do with them. Looking at the years to come, I can easily see us all in different parts of the world doing different things, all meaningful in their own way. Looking right in front of us is harder, though. The things right in front of you are much more real. They are here, they are now. They are the steps that must be taken in order to get to where you see yourself in the future. Once we get to where we see ourselves, it's not so hard, but it's a matter of taking those first steps that stirs fright in all of us. Because I could never relay in words to you all that was said that night, I will tell you what is on my mind.

For me, entering 2010 is huge. I'm no longer taking classes that deal with learning to juggle or making someone believe that I really am a crazed genius whose father just died. Now I'm learning what acronyms like GNP and FDI stand for. I'm not learning how to build a flat for a production, but I am learning why Yugoslavia split up in the 90s and how we can help those new countries get back on their feet. I only have five months left in the dorms and will switch gears and live in a house with some of my closest friends. I will be faced with the decision of whether or not I want to be on group staff again or find a new place to serve. I will be searching for internships and practical ways to apply my learning. Constantly learning, that's what I'm doing this year.

It's hard to tell, really, what I expect to come of it all. It's exciting, though. When people ask me where I think my major will take me and I say "anywhere," it sparks the fire of adventure in my heart. I'm not afraid of what God might throw at me because I know it's under control. Even in times when I have thought no good could come of it, something changes in my heart and it's all okay. The point is that somehow or other, it works out. All I can do is trust. So, in the ever so wise words of Bilbo Bagins, I leave you with this:

"It's dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to."

Dangerous? Yes, but danger is just another word for adventure. And adventure is what God has in store, if I'm willing to trust. And I am.