30-Day Trek: Missing Almost Everything

"Being willing to miss almost everything enables me to live my unique spiritual calling fully and deeply." - Susan Classen

This quote from today's Trek reading puzzled me at first. I don't like missing out on things. I'm an extrovert or people person by nature. I love opportunities to connect with friends, family and other mamas. I love throwing parties and dinners. I thrive on spending time with people and staying active. Sometimes the idea of "missing out" on something will drive me up the wall. It's this human need to feel included and connected.

What I'm learning as we prepare for our year in Haiti is that I will miss out on a lot of what is happening here at home in Fresno. I will miss time with dear friends. I will miss special events. I know I will miss out on a lot of options and privileges I have here in the United States. But in my spirit I know our family will be gaining a lot more if we focus on our purpose: to serve the Haitians and learn about God's greater world.

In our country we are surrounded by an abundance of choices. We walk into a grocery store and have 135 choices of cereal alone. That typical grocery store has 46,000 products to choose from (Food, Inc.) That's pretty mind-bloggling. Do you ever find yourself staring at grocery shelves wondering what salad dressing to choose? If so, I guess you know what I mean.

The challenge for us is finding our calling and then (as my husband says) focusing like a laser beam on pursuing that calling. It's so easy to get caught up in all the options in our world and then be paralyzed by indecision.

Susan Classen writes, "Keeping my options open is possible only at the expense of long-term commitment and direction for my life."

What Ericlee and I discussed through reading this is that we need to be committed. We need to give ourselves a year in Haiti. We need to recognize we will miss out on a lot of things here at home. We will miss the abundance here in the United States in our blessed Fresno community. It's a mental shift to focus on having enough, not always focusing on more options.

How are you affected by the options that surround you?