Seeking God’s Will

Teenagers are sometimes inaccurately stigmatized, and older Christians are sometimes inclined to put them in a little box and label them as not caring about others, or think they are too much into themselves to care.  Well, I have a story to tell you about some teens who live outside of that box.  A few years ago a teenage, *Erin Pope began coming to our church and youth group with a friend during her high school years.  She also became good friends with my daughter, *Dana.  Through our Wesleyan Church, youth camps and youth conventions Erin came to know the Lord and began seeking God’s will for her life. 

Erin continued to mature in her faith as she entered her college years.  A deep desire to serve the Lord and accomplish His will for her life led to a move from the State supported college she attended to Southern Wesleyan University.  Due to a lack of parental support, this change in direction was not an easy decision for Erin.  Her parents were not Christians and were upset at her decision to move to SWU and subsequently refused to move her belongings to the University in the fall of 2007.  Don’t get me wrong, they were not bad parents, but the move would require more money and would increase the distance in miles between them.  Erin was heartbroken, because she firmly believed that God wanted her to attend SWU.  She knew what she needed to do, but faced further obstacles.  Since she drove a small Volkswagen, it would be difficult to move her belongings to SWU without any assistance.  Yes, she was in a dilemma, but you know, if it’s God’s Will, He will make a way! 

This is where Dana, my daughter, comes into the picture. She had just celebrated her seventeenth birthday, and we had given her a red four-wheel drive, 5-speed truck with a tool box on the back.  This is not a typical vehicle for a girl, but my daughter is not just any ordinary girl.  She is a volunteer fire fighter and medical responder for our community.  With a compassionate heart and a desire to help a friend, Dana offered to load up Erin’s possessions on her new truck and drive them to SWU so Erin could begin the fall semester.  I’m aware that being the mother of a teen keeps one in high anxiety mode, but my daughter had rarely driven out of Randolph county let alone to Central, South Carolina.  I had concerns and expressed them, but she convinced her father and me that this was something God needed her to do for Erin.  How can you argue with that kind of compassion and response?  All I could do was pray for her protection and for God to give her the strength. 

Dana made plans to drive to SWU, unload the truck and return home the same day.  She had no idea how long the trip was.  Her father and I both had to work, and it would have been difficult for us to take time off from our jobs to go along.  Another friend agreed to go with her, so that made me feel a little better.  I convinced Dana to drive our Bronco, since it was an automatic, instead of taking her new birthday truck, which was a 5-speed, and with the back seat dropped down, the Bronco would adequately hold Erin’s belongings.  Also, if Dana got tired, her friend could drive the Bronco.

On the morning Dana was supposed to meet Erin and load up, I placed a card on her steering wheel saying how proud I was of her and letting her know I would be praying for their safety.  I also included the words from Carrie Underwood’s song, “Don’t forget to Remember Me.”  The song tells of a mother who is seeing her eighteen year old daughter off as she leaves home for the first time: “There's a fifty in the ashtray, In case you run short on cash.  Here's a map and here's a Bible, if you ever lose your way.”  Tears were flowing down my cheeks, not from sadness, from joyful pride and from knowing that God had my daughter and Erin in His hands.  “God’s will be done today,” I prayed!

Well, the “moving team” got there all right and unloaded without any problems.  And, what a joy it was to hear that Erin’s parents, who didn’t support her decision, drove down with them to be there as she transitioned to the college where God wanted her to be as part of His will for her life!  I am proud to say Erin is thriving at SWU, traveling with teams during the summer and flourishing in the Christian environment.  She will graduate this year!

As for my daughter, Dana, she has become a fine young lady seeking God’s will in her life.  She completed EMT school and volunteers in our community as a fire fighter and medical responder.  At the age of nineteen, she has witnessed more accidents and tragedies than anyone of her youthful years should ever see.  She held a dying teenager in her arms and tried do what she could to bring comfort.  She has held infants and children who were so frightened they thought they were going to die.  She told me of one emergency call where a young child, around the age of seven, was on a stretcher and was holding her infant sibling, who was not hurt, and asking my daughter was she going to die.  Dana reassured her that she was not going to die and that she would be fine.  The little girl then looked up at Dana and told her she was so pretty, making both smile at each other.

Dana went to the Dominican Republic last year and held many young children in her arms while assisting on a medical team.  She apologized to me because she would miss my birthday, but I told her there was not a more wonderful gift a mother could receive than to have her daughter serving on the mission field.  She did call me and wish me a Happy Birthday!  I have a picture in my office of her holding a young baby in her arms looking at her in adoration.    “God’s will, Mom,” she says, “God’s will.” 

Dana is now in her second year of college seeking God’s will for a nursing degree with plans for going into pediatric nursing.  I am so blessed and thankful of all that God gives us in His will for our lives.  I pray without ceasing from the time I awake to the time I go to bed, “God allow my family and myself to always seek your will.”  Praying daily is not a chore; it is exciting to see what God has in store!

1 Thessalonians 5:17 - Pray without ceasing.  Meaning: remaining in an attitude of prayer at all times.

Doris Welborn, Assistant Director, NC East District

Ramseur Wesleyan Church

*Names changed for reasons of privacy.