When I tell someone I’m in grad school, they usually respond by saying, “It’s great that you are furthering your education- you’re going to be very successful.”
But what is their definition of success?
By the world’s standards, success is defined as securing the “American dream”- acquiring a high-paying job, a comfortable life, and purchasing the nice home with the white picket fence. If this is success, then the PhD is the way to go.
But what if I have a different definition of success?
My idea of success is fulfilling God’s call for my life. He has given me a passion for missions and I believe He speaks to us by placing certain people- even countries- on our hearts. Psalm 37:4 says, “Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart”. If we have surrendered our lives to God, we know that our desires are from Him. He gives us these desires for a reason, and we need to have faith that He will fulfill them.
So, what does this mean for my future?
I can only take it one day (maybe even one hour!) at a time, trusting that God will lead me in the direction He wants me to go. I have a lot of decisions to make, but if I seek God’s will, He will make the next steps clear.
