wandering down this road that we call life........

yesterday I had lunch with a cool person that made me think about a lot of things that are important to me in my life. By talking to her, I was able to digest some of the thoughts that have provoked my mind as a result of the courses I've taken. This past semester I've been learning to form my own opinions about controversial worldly matters as well as issues on faith and servanthood. Through the influence of my classes and people that I've talked to I've been building a passion for things that I use to never care so much about. The greatest impact in my life this year would be the classes that I've taken.

When I first came to college, I knew that God wanted me to focus on my academics for a reason. I figured it was probably because God has given me intellect that I hadn't fully utilized in the past so now was the chance to redeem myself. Contrary to my thinking, the classes I've taken have challenged my faith as well as changed my view of the world and has made me more sensative to issues I've often overlooked.

I often think about what I can offer to the social work profession. All of the students in social work seem to have some kind of life experience to offer. They've either been in the face of oppression or really suffered through some traumatizing childhood times. God's goodness in my life has been so undeserving and although that is a good thing, I'm often left with a feeling of inadequacy when it comes to pursuing the social work profession. I love people but is that enough?
Despite my doubts, I love how social work has kind of reconfigured my mind. The relationship that I have with my major works in conjuction to my relationship with God. Social work is an area that fights for justice and God has a heart for justice. In that sense, I feel that justice is a link between the social work profession and God's character.

If I say that I've gained nothing from all the toil and seemingly pointless school work I've engaged myself in this first year of college, it would be a lie. After yesterday, I've come to see that I have a moral responsibility to my future social work career, to the future populations I will serve, and to the clients I'll encounter. That moral responsibility starts now-- with my academics. Working hard in school and striving to learn all that college has to offer proves to my profession that I've put forth efforts to get where I will be when I'm a professional. If I'm going to be a social worker, shouldn't I strive to be the best one that I can be? God is providing the resources right now for me to best serve Him and his creation both as a student and later in life.

In a nutshell....I had a really empowering lunch yesterday =)