Monday, April 5, 2010

i got to have a chat with my friend david tonight and our conversation turned to life experiences and how we got to the place we are today. it all started because my headteacher made the remark today, "any american could come here to korea and make a fortune. i don't think it's fair." i stopped and thought about it for awhile, then had to agree with her - it really isn't fair. if i were in america right now, i'd probably be an unemployed bum. honestly. but instead, i'm here in korea, living the dream and making a ton of money. the government treats me like royalty and i live really comfortably with no expenses. all because i happened to be raised in an american home, speaking english. it really started making me feel a little bit guilty. i didn't do anything to deserve the privileged title of 'native english speaker.' i just happened to be born to a really poor korean family. and they loved me enough to allow me to be adopted. and i ended up with a family in america, and i was raised as an english speaker. and my mom's mom was nazarene, so we attended a nazarene church, too. and after growing up in a nazarene church, i decided to go to a nazarene university. and that university was connected to our sister nazarene school in korea. and that korean school happened to be recruiting native english speakers to teach in the public schools. and i saw an advertisement in the student commons and decided i might as well apply because i couldn't find a job anywhere else. then i was actually accepted. and then my life came full circle.

it's kind of mind-numbing, right? to think how one decision or circumstance can change the whole course of direction. have you ever had an experience of being in the 'right place at the right time?' maybe you won a free chicken sandwich or got a discount on your haircut. i feel like my entire life has been a case of 'the right place at the right time' on a ginormous scale! my time in korea thus far has gone way above and beyond my expectations. alot of people had real (and legitimate!) concerns about my returning to korea, but those were blown out of the water within the first few days. i have been seriously thinking and praying about it and finally realized that guilt isn't the correct response to all that i have been given. and i mean - ALL that i've been given. instead, i think my eyes have been opened to see this entire experience for what it is: true grace and mercy in action. i mentioned earlier that i didn't DO anything to deserve all of this. i think that's the most beautiful part of the entire situation. we aren't given things or people or experiences because we deserve them, but because the Lord sees fit to bless us purely out of an absolutely undeserved grace. the way we live out our humility and thankfulness for the gift is the real test!

i would encourage you to sit down for a minute and reflect on your life. connect the dots. i think you will really be amazed! after i kind of mapped out the path i've traveled, my brain hurt. i couldn't believe how much my decisions and actions had really affected the next step and the next step and maybe a step that hasn't even happened yet. after i traced it out, i saw 'coincidence' go out the window and 'divine intervention' fill its place. take a second to think it through, then live accordingly. i think you will see humility and thankfulness taking on a whole new meaning for you.

2 comments:

Andrew Phelps said...

Great thoughts Whitney. I really enjoyed this post.

B3 said...

I like the term,"unmerited favor".
Great post.

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