Hannah Jo from Kokomo

Where to begin when so much has happened already over the course of the last 5 months?

Staffing...Too big of a topic to handle upfront. Moving on to something a little smaller...

Living. Ironic that this topic would be a smaller one to tackle for the time being, but it is. Living. What does that even mean? "To live is Christ and to die is gain," spoken by the apostle Paul when he was discussing his predicament to the Philippian church in the first century AD. Paul is stuck in this situation where he truly wants to die and be with the Lord - simply because life with the Lord is much better than even the best and fullest life on earth, yet for his love of the church and understanding that they need him to encourage them, teach them and guide them through the humble beginnings of the Christian church Paul recognizes the need for him to remain on earth until the Lord himself calls Paul home.
What does this mean for me? What is my life and where am I going with it? These are the questions that have been running through my mind continuously the last month or so. Truly they have been running through my mind since my high school days, but how much more so since moving onto adulthood. What do I want my life to look like when I am 30? What about 50? What about 100? Will I even live that long?
We hear so often that a life unlived is no life at all, meaning that unless one lives life with no regrets and love with a love bigger than themselves they have not lived though they live to be old and gray. This is true. But what really is living? What does it look like? So many people spend their whole lives wondering if they are living it right. "Am I living it right? Am I living it right? Am I living it right? Why? Why Georgia, why?" are the words sung by the famous John Mayer. It's one of my favorite songs because it talks about the indecisive and confused nature of so many people - both young and old alike. There is a line that goes, "So what? So I've got a smile on. Don't believe me when I say I've got it all down." It makes me wonder if anyone really knows what they are doing in life.
Does God really call people to a certain occupation or does he simply let us choose? I think that regardless of what we do, as believers and followers of Christ, our simply responsibility regardless of occupation or location is to bring honor and glory to the name of the Lord. I think so many times we get so self focused and want to know all about 'My calling,' or 'My life goals,' or whether or not 'My dreams' are going to be fulfilled or not. What is that? God never intended HIS story to be all about us. We are a part of it, true; but that doesn't mean we are the star player or the grand finale. Everyone's story adds up to one thing: the glory of God displayed all across creation.
It's kind of a hard pill to swallow. I will be the first to admit that I have been going crazy trying to figure out my life and what it will be. Should I finish college, should I not finish college? Should I study this, should I study that? Should I remain in Australia awhile longer, should I go home? But what does it matter? Do I want to do those things? Do I want to finish school? Do I want to continue my stay in Australia? Of course. But too often I find myself comparing "my" God to a Magic 8 Ball expecting him to tell my destiny and give me success in everything I do and work wonders. But am I wanting it for his glory or my own?
I think this is a question everyone should ask themselves at some point or another, "Who am I living for?" Because the truth is, God will make his glory known whether it's through you or not. But personally I would much rather humble myself and give glory to God than be humbled and, like many people in the Bible, be used as an example of how not to live your life.