I. My Faith
Ultimately, my life purpose is rooted in a verse I had found a long time ago, in a liberal version of the Bible, The New Living Translation. Since then, the translators adjusted the text so it reads a bit differently, but I still cling to what I had read as a high school student: “I don't mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection! But I keep working toward that day when I will finally be all that Christ Jesus saved me for and wants me to be” (Philippians 3:12 NLT). I never want to stop maturing in my faith and learning from Jesus Christ my Teacher. As someone who loves learning—which I’ll delve into deeper in the next section—I want my faith to be grounded in that attitude as well. I want to remain transparent with God; I want to readily heed his conviction and repent.
I know only a portion of God’s calling on my life: to be a present-day Ezekiel to my generation, to remind those who have strayed to come back to God. I must live up to that calling. And when God guides me to something new, I must be obedient to that as well.
II. My Education and Career
Thomas Freidman in his book The World is Flat stated that it’s not merely a high IQ that will secure a job in today’s market but an equally high Passion Quotient and Curiosity Quotient. Young adults must love learning and find their passion in what they do. I want to prove Friedman right. As I continue my education, I must be continuously curious about each subject I am learning and passionate about the learning process itself. I can strengthen this by caring about my schoolwork which, synonymously, will help my IQ as well as my PQ and CQ. I must keep reading; I must ask questions. Besides faith in God, I value knowledge in next importance. Though it has its own vices—I tend to rather learn than love others—I know that it is impossible for me not to learn something new. I will echo the psalmist’s cry, “Teach me your way, O Lord” (Psalm 86:11a).
A few passages in the Bible state the importance of doing everyday tasks for God. I like what Romans 12:1 says in The Message, “So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him.” My “spiritual act of worship”—as the NIV translates—is my devotion to excellence in my job and education.
III. My Relationships
I am an independent person. I often have the urge to push people away or feel the need to prove to them my worth. Relationships are hard for me; they take more work than I’d like them to. But I am not going to settle for that. I desire to love people as Christ has called us to—to even love those that society ostracizes. In order to love in that way, I need to remain in humble surrender to God. I can’t get to full of myself: my high GPA or job title. I need to view everyone as equal to—or in some cases better than—myself. I like how author Donald Miller describes that rank-centered pride as a lifeboat. Humankind acts as though they live in a lifeboat built for five with six sitting inside—who’s thrown overboard? The weak, the less-intelligent, the ugly, the minorities are. In all reality, no lifeboat exists. God created us all equal and we are called to love each other in that way.
As for a romantic relationship, I want to get married and have a son. Of course I have my “dream husband,” clad with a beard and mountain-man muscles, but what’s most important is his devotion to God. If nothing else, I must find a husband whose faith in God astounds me and is loyal to his wife and family. Until I meet this guy, I know I can prepare myself. I am committed to purity and try my best not to waste time crushing on guys not worth my affection. My pastor’s wife once suggested writing down marriage advice when I hear it; I have dutifully done that as well. Above all else, if I remain grounded in God and my future husband does too, our relationship will be lasting.