The wonderful thing about God is that he knows exactly what we need, not what we think we need. This is evident in my gracious host family, the Murchisons. Prior to moving to Charlotte, I was so excited to meet them, and I felt so hopeful about this family that I would be living with for the next 9 months. A little intro to my host family: Fred and Katy (parents), Ivy (14) and Ella (12). Rounding it out with 2 pets, we have their dog, Lolli (She and I are pals) and their cat, Raven. (We are… still warming up to each other).
Imagine being asked to solve a physics equation. That’s likely what learning how to round numbers feels like for a third grader.
Every Monday, the Charlotte Fellows serve at Brookstone School’s after school program, and I’ve paired up with the third grade class. In all honesty, sometimes I struggle articulating why we round up or down when I’m helping third graders with their homework. Most of the time, I’m trying to get them to lower their voices or focus on their homework. However, the hecticness doesn’t mean sweet moments don’t happen.
Already in just six short weeks, it seems I have learned more about myself and what it means to be a man of God than I did in four years of college. It’s not that college was a waste of time, it’s just that the unique blend of community, discipleship, service, and time for personal reflection provided through the Fellows has been the ultimate answered prayer for me.
To start a journey, one must first be willing to leave. To leave the comfort and safety of home and risk the unknown of what is beyond. To leave friends and family, and move to a new city and into a house of strangers. To leave college, a place of independence and fun, to be replaced by a job and learning what “adulting” really means.
Studies have shown that the average person will spend over a third of his/her waking life at work. Since most Christians are not engaged in full-time vocational ministry, how do we integrate our faith into one of the biggest portions of our lives–our work?
I grew up singing “Jesus Loves the Little Children”, and those words will always be deeply ingrained in my mind and heart. It wasn’t until recently that I realized the lyrics of that song are rooted in much deeper, profound truths. In Mark 10:14, Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” Recently my church in Charlotte focused on this passage, and I was humbled as I examined my own faith in relation to my personal relationship with Jesus.
Note: This post was written by Hugh Whelchel, Executive Director of the Institute for Faith, Work & Economics and author of How Then Should We Work?: Rediscovering the Biblical Doctrine of Work. The article originally appeared here.
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