“Getting answers to my questions is not the goal of the spiritual life. Living in the presence of God is the greater call.”
– Henri Nouwen, Discernment (pg. 67)

It was probably about twenty or so years ago that I first had the inkling that I might want to work as a chaplain, maybe on a college campus. I was heavy into my addictions at the time, so I poo-pooed the idea and forgot about it. After finding recovery from those addictions, I started the long journey of surrender, self-appraisal, and living life one day at a time. Throughout that journey, I have had brief moments of thinking I want to work in some field where I am helping others. Often, in those moments, I have thought about how difficult the trek would be to obtain the needed education and proceeded to forget about it.

About ten years ago, the pull towards learning started to become stronger. Not only did it gradually gain strength, but it became much clearer to me that I was to learn about theology, religion, and spirituality. And, even though the pull was becoming difficult to ignore, I was about to get married and I pushed the ideas of furthering my education aside once again. Three years later, I found myself researching local and online seminaries and ended up at an informational session at one of them. So many questions. So many concerns. So many objections.

Needless to say, I have been enrolled as a part-time student for a master’s degree in theological studies for the past three years. I still have a lot of questions. I have some ideas, but really don’t know what I am going to do with my degree once I receive it. Here’s the beautiful thing about that. It doesn’t matter. What I am learning, the experiences I am having, and the people I am meeting are all teaching me how to live in the presence of God. Throughout these last three years, I have found that the path towards whatever is next is the place where God walks with me. My journey is His playground and I am delighted to skip along by His side.