Have you ever heard a little kid talk about what they want to be when they grow up? It’s wonderful to hear the excitement of their dream and we smile and say something like, “You’ll be so great at that!” Then, somewhere in the back of your mind, you know that their dream will probably change next week, and the next movie that they see could be the deciding factor in their future. For as long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to be a missionary teacher. Except for a short time in seventh grade when I when I got sidetracked by wanting to be an astronaut, I’ve never wanted to do anything else. It’s the dream that I believe God planted in my heart from the time I was a little kid and now He is beginning to make it into my reality. I have spent the last four years training at Moody Bible Institute and in a couple days I will be moving to Ibadan, Nigeria to be a first grade teacher at American Christian Academy!
Back in January, as the details and colors began to fill in the outline of my dream, I talked to a few trusted friends and family members about Nigeria and the position there. Their advice was so helpful in my decision and one wise friend explained it this way: “Accomplishing God’s will is really only as complicated as doing the next right thing.” Teaching in Nigeria is consistent with what I know about God, how He has created me, and His plan for my life so far. I don’t have to know it all. I don’t have to fearfully question His will for my life. I just have to do the next right thing. As I seek after Him, He will match my heart more and more to His. I will follow after Him one right thing at a time. I sit here humbled and grateful for the dream that God has given me and the way that He is fulfilling it. I have absolutely no idea what is in store for the next two years of my life, but I choose to trust Him. Recognizing that the significance and security of my life is based in who He is, I am stepping out to do “The next right thing.”
