How did I get here?

I read an interesting post this morning on Nate Karnes' blog about one of this dogs discovering why he was born - namely to hunt birds. That post creates an interesting spiritual parallel with our lives. Nate talked about how energized Beaumont was once he discovered his purpose in life. I think people function the same way, particularly when we get to a point in our lives that our hard-wired traits mesh with the divine appointments God brings our way. I have seen that in my own life as God has provided a means for me to serve Him using the gifts and abilities He provided in ways I never expected, but that are incredibly fulfilling because of the impact that the ministry of Christ In Youth has on so many young people.

I think a natural question to consider alongside the "Why am I here?" concept is "How did I get here?" George Santayana wrote, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeate it." Part of who we are is defined by where we have come from and becoming who God intends for us to be requires that we learn the lessons of our past.

One of the things that I have been asked to do here at CIY is oversee the Summer Conference Internship Program. This was a responsibility that I was more than willing to take on when the previous coordinator took another job. A big part of the reason I sought the added duty of overseeing 20+ college-age interns all summer was because I am a product of the program.

In the fall of 1999 I decided to apply to be an intern at Christ In Youth. I had been to 3 Summer Conferences in high school and thought it would be fun to be involved with this ministry. I didn't know a single person who worked at CIY, had no idea what I might be getting into, but felt led to submit the application. Upon returning from a ski trip in Colorado just before Christmas I had voice messages (at least 2) from someone named Jude Champagne at Christ In Youth. I returned the call to find out that I had been selected as one of the interns for the summer of 2000.

That summer was amazing and somewhere in there I conviced Jude (and others I suppose) that I was sharp enough to be allowed to return for another tour, which I did in 2001. After that I ended up coming on in an extended internship capacity, followed by an offer to become a staff member (on an indefinite basis as opposed to internships that by definition last a specified length of time). Six years after my initial selection as an intern I'm still here. I am amazed at how God shaped events in my life both before I applied that first year and after to lead me to where I am today.

When I look back at my high school and college experiences I can see how they were shaping me for the days that would follow. I can see even in my failures how God was working in me to make me who He wanted me to be in order to serve Him in the future.

In an effort to draw some sort of point from my ramblings I would say this. Your past is part of who you are and shouldn't be completely ignored. At the same time, who you have been should not limit you from becoming who you were meant to be - Beaumont (Nate's dog) didn't refuse to hunt birds just because he'd never done it before. At the same time, as important as figuring out who God made you to be is, taking advantage of the opportunities that lie infront of you today is also critically important. Don't make the mistake of waiting to do something with your life until you "get where you're going", in doing so you'll only hinder who you could be, who God wants you to become by being unfaithful to the "small" things before you.

I tend to think in equations, here's how I think this works: How I got here (my past) + What I choose to do with today (my present) = Who I will be tomorrow (my future).