Discernment!

A lot of times "discernment" can be a scary word. People talk about "discerning their calling" and that can be a really frightening, at least, it can be for me. However, over the past couple months, this word has come out of my mouth numerous times and it truly expresses where I currently am in my life. I graduate from college in less than a month. And I have been discerning what that means and what comes next. The "what comes next" is extremely intimidating for me. College was this perpetual place for me; a place that I love dearly and, for a while there, was not sure if I was ready to move away from.

In December I started thinking about what I am going to do after graduation. I have always wanted to take a year or two off before going to grad school. Plus, there are so many opportunities for recent graduates. My interest lies in social justice and the church, so I began looking into different internships/jobs/service years that incorporate this passion. I came across the Young Adult Service Corps (YASC), a program through the Episcopal Church that sends young adults "into the life of the worldwide Anglican Communion and into the daily work of a local community" (Young Adult Service Corps). 

In February, I was invited to a Discernment Weekend in New York with YASC. During this weekend, I met so many incredible people who have the same passion and desire to serve that I have. They encouraged me and challenged me. I learned more about YASC and the wonderful things are doing. At the end of the week my heart was so full and then the discernment truly came into play.

I spent the next week journaling, praying, and talking to family and friends. Luckily YASC, my friends, and my family set me up for an incredible discernment period. This whole time I was nervous about making the wrong decision but I learned through this process that God is in my decision and because of this there is no "wrong" decision. God will make it amazing no matter what. From this time discerning I knew that God is calling to do YASC. It is a step outside of my comfort zone and it's going to challenge me. But God will be there in the challenging moments, just as in my discernment.