And What If I Miss It
I’m confused. My passions for two things are almost at odds with each other, and I don’t know how to combine them. I don’t know how God wants me to combine them.
On the one hand, it’s ministry. People. Refugees. The inner city. Orphans. Social work. Foster kids. Teenage mothers. The unborn.
On the other hand, it’s writing. English. The beauty and intricacy of language. The deeply satisfying effort of putting words on a page.
I have a feeling that neither one is going to pay the bills adequately in the near future. But I can think of a way to go one direction or the other. If I go the ministry direction, I could do a job search and work for a non-profit organization. If I go the writing direction, I could combine the two eventually, but I’d probably have to go to grad school first. And I don’t know how to swing that.
Right now, I know what I really want to do. I want to go to grad school for writing, and work part-time for a non-profit. It’s been crystallizing for weeks.
But I don’t know how that would work.
And I’m not sure where He’s calling me.
I just don’t want to give up, take the easy path, and miss the opportunity.
Filed under: Career/Education on September 17th, 2007
Hi Anna, I’m not sure how cost of education goes in your parts, but the whole ‘go to grad school for writing’ and working part time at a non-profit (or even maybe volunteering) seems like a good idea.
If you can share what you see through writing, then I think you can really make quite a big impact. It may be worth looking into seeing if your area has something like our Australian ‘Big Issue’ or somewhere else you can write about what you’re passionate about.
Keep at it. You won’t miss it. Getting there is a big fat long process and I don’t even know if there is an end point. Keep praying. I shall be.
I know what you’re talking about. There is this pressure and it is good in one sense to not miss the opportunities that fly so quickly by.
Trust God and jump at those opportunities God will open the right doors and lead you through. I am trying to see this for myself each day as I look for the right job and state to be in.
I relate well to the bill paying part my degree was in Biblical Studies and English and it is challenging seeing where to fit…but He shows us!
I feel your pain, as it has been my companion much of my life (as you know) Do I pursue local political possibilities that are opening up, or do I go toward the post-retirement missions route - or somehow mesh the two? Obviously easier for me being on the “backside” of life as opposed to you being on the front end.
Perhaps you should follow (at this point) the area you feel most gifted in right now, while fishing around for side-line opportunities in the other area. In that there won’t be much money in either of your choices, at least that issue is resolved!
“Right now, I know what I really want to do. I want to go to grad school for writing, and work part-time for a non-profit. It’s been crystallizing for weeks”
Sounds like a great plan and I think you are right to think you can use both your passions together! Is it cost that would be the hard thing about grad school or is it just difficult to think of spending that extra time in school?
I definitely feel your plight though as, being an English major myself, I’ve always wished I had thought a little more about what I could possibly do with my writing post college, assuming of course that, since I was one month from having Micah at the time of graduating, I’d be just doing something part time from home if I ever worked.
Guss what though? As crazy as it may sound, Craigslist has some great opportunities to write from home and make money! I was just checking their job add section today for writers/editors!:)