It’s the first day of school!!! That’s right, I’m 47 years old and beyond excited that I get to go back to school today.

In September of 2014, I started taking classes (part-time) to obtain a Master of Arts in Theological Studies. Not too long before that, if you would have told me that this education would be part of my journey, I would have said you were crazy. There was nothing in me that wanted to follow in the footsteps of my father, who was an ordained minister. But, what has happened, through years and years of self-discovery and a whole lot of prayer, is that I know – more than I have ever known anything before in my life – that I am supposed to be learning this stuff. The weirdness of this for me right now is that I am just about halfway through to receiving my degree and I still don’t have any concrete ideas about what I am going to do with it. I have learned a lot about what I don’t want to do with it, but the light at the end of the education tunnel is still a bit hazy.

So, you might ask, how can I possibly know – more than I ever have before – that this is what I am supposed to be doing? My answer is simple: Because I LOVE IT! I love my classes. I love my professors. I love my fellow classmates. I love the campus where I take classes. I even love all the homework that is assigned. Most of all, I love the fact that I am following God’s guidance even though I don’t know what He wants me to do with this in the end.

Sure, this sense of direction has come to me a little later in life than most people. The younger people in my classes that have known their “calling” for most of their life are blessed beyond anything I can understand. Their zest and enthusiasm for the materials is amazing to me, especially since all I cared about when I was their age was finding the best party each weekend. On the other hand, the blessing I feel in my life today, as I set out to tackle three new courses for the semester, is one that those young people may never understand. After many years of directionless living, hopelessness, and confusion, I now feel a warmth in my heart that is constantly spilling over with hope, joy, and gratitude. The clarity that God has given to me, even without an end goal in sight, is something I have not experienced in my life until now – and it is WONDERFUL.

So, off I go this afternoon, to my first class of the 2017 Fall Semester. I pray that anyone who feels directionless, hopeless, or confused will find the willingness to search within – no matter how difficult that might be – to find this type of clarity. Take it from me, it is worth every ounce of energy you will expend in discovering your true calling.

P.S. Be sure to check Facebook later today as I will not be able to stop myself from joining in the hoopla of First-Day-Of-School picture sharing!