Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Beginnings

For me, this semester is a time of beginning. Yes, I am a Junior, and yes, that does mean that I have been living, breathing, and attending classes in Boston University for the past three years. Nevertheless, this March is a time of beginning.

Although I was raised in the Methodist Church, I am a very new convert to Christianity. Until last March, my Christian background was just that, a background, a comforting undercurrent of tradition that stabilized my life, but which I almost never acted on. Last March I literally woke up to God. One chilly morning I opened my eyes with the overwhelming certainty that God exists, that He loves each and every one of us, and that I should do something about it. I did do something about it; I became involved in Marsh Chapel.

That process was interrupted just a few months later, when I embarked on a semester abroad that took me first to Ecuador, and then to Morocco. These experiences deepened my maturity, both emotionally and spiritually. However, except for this summer, when I worked as a camp counselor for a United Methodist summer camp in Illinois, I have not had many opportunities to explore my vocation in ministry in a concrete way.

This March, that beginning has come. I am so excited. What a great opportunity to share our journey together. What a wonderful way to enjoy good Christian fellowship and support. What a chance to make a difference in our community. I thank everyone involved in the application process for opening this space in which to learn and grow. I am eager to get to know my fellow interns as well as the Marsh staff and community. As we start this process together I would like to share with all of you the blessing my dad gave my brother and I each time we left the house:

The Lord bless you, and keep you;
The Lord make his face shine on you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace (Numbers 6: 24-27).


Bethany

2 comments:

  1. "Until last March, my Christian background was just that, a background, a comforting undercurrent of tradition that stabilized my life, but which I almost never acted on. Last March I literally woke up to God."

    That is goodstuff... Hi Bethany!

    Won from NJ.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Won, thank you so much for reading! Would you friend me on facebook, please? I would love to be in conversation with you. I hope you are well!

    ReplyDelete