Unka Glen

Anonymous asked: Hi Unka Glen. Just have to say your blog inspires me so much! I’m a high school junior, and college seems to be just around the corner, and it seems like all this college stuff makes me doubt myself, and what I want to do with my life. I know God has a plan for me, but when the pressure is on, I seem to doubt everything, which makes me even more confused. What’s your take on this? 

Unka Glen answered: There’s and old missionary saying: it’s easier to steer something that’s moving. If you think it might be a challenge to figure it all out, then why not start today? Do something, anything really, that might start you down that road towards your calling. It could be something really small, it doesn’t matter. Think of it like this…

Imagine I tell you that you have to take this old wooden sailing ship and sail it from New York City to Dublin, Ireland. Well, you’d freak out of course, because what do you know about navigating the whole flippin’ ocean? You could stand on the shore and fret your whole life about how to get there.

But the right way to look at that situation is to say, “well, this way is dry, and that way is wet, so I already know which direction to head in.” Then you notice that the sun sets in the west, so if the setting sun is behind you, you’re still heading the right direction. Then you find a compass and some nautical charts in the ship’s hold that give you even more information. Then you find that certain latitudes have better wind than others, which wasn’t even mentioned on the charts.

Eventually you figure it out as you go, and the whole thing is an adventure. It’s full of surprises and challenges and failures that teach you the valuable lessons that allow you to get where you’re going. Start that adventure today, maybe that’s something you do with Tumblr, maybe it’s a Bible study you start at your school, maybe it’s a fundraiser you start for a worthy cause. Anything really.

When you get in motion, you’ll start learning right away about what you want to do more of, what you’re gifted at, and how God wants you to handle things. Find a good mentor who’s doing what you want to be doing, and ask them, “if I buy you a hamburger, can I ask you a ton of questions about what you do?” You won’t hear no to that, I’m sure.

When I was your age, the main thought I had was, “if only someone would let me do that”, or “if only I could get hired to do this”. But I can tell you, looking at it from this side, that whatever you’re looking to accomplish in the Lord, it can be done, it’s just a matter of how much you’re willing to sacrifice. As Mark Twain said, “it’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog.”

I hear Christians talking about open doors, but everything I ever accomplished for the Kingdom came as a result of kicking those doors in, grabbing life by the throat and MAKING it give me that chance. Everything I’ve accomplished has been against the odds, off the map, unprecedented, woefully underfunded, improbable, and beset with every attack the enemy’s imagination could devise. 

If I went back in time and told my high school self what I do for a living today, that young brother would faint from the excitement… but as soon as he came to, he’d start worrying about how on earth he’ll make it all happen. What could I say? 

Relax, the path for the race you’re running is already laid out, just take it one step at a time.