Who will we become?

Geoff Dueck-Thiessen

When I left home directly after high school to go to college, I never could have guessed what awaited me. Having been bored and frustrated by public education, I had based my decision to go to Concord College on the experiences of my two brothers who attended before me. The decision, for me, was the right one. My world exploded in a kaleidoscope of relationships, knowledge and insights.

Every fall, as high school graduates embark on some new experience, whether college, university, travelling or work, I find myself wondering about their experiences. What relationships will they form? Will they search out God, and what will their experience of the Creator be? What will they learn, and who will they become?

It has been said that there are two ways to look at education. First, we can look at our experiences from the perspective of usefulness. That is, we can ask: What will this experience do for me? Where will it get me? The other, perhaps more rewarding, way of approaching education and experience is in terms of growth and transformation. That is, we can ask: Whowill this experience make me?

There is no doubt that choosing directions in life after high school can be tough. High school teachers urge students to be competitive and successful, to seek the highest quality of university education. Others may urge that Bible school or college is the only valid experience. Still others claim that an education is useless now, as over-educated graduates compete for scarce jobs.

My experience has persuaded me that whatever you do after high school, God is willing to meet you there if you are willing to grow. It's very significant that after 12 years of firm direction in grade school, young adults have such a wide variety of options available. Whatever you choose, as you embark on new directions, allow God to start a new direction in the lifelong process of becoming. The Bible doesn't talk much about productivity, financial success or competing with our peers. Rather, God seems to be concerned with doing justice, loving kindness and walking humbly with our God.

Return to the M.B.Herald Vol. 36, No. 16 Home Page