the real deal

       What is "the real deal" in life? Is it that perfect high-paying job or a good well-bonded family? As a 19-year old, many of my friends strive for that perfect resume. That perfect resume includes good professional references and versatile volunteer experiences, which showcases one's ability to be the ideal employee. The truth is, many young adults today are boiling their life down to one single sheet of paper, but is that where our focus should be?

    As I was reflecting with my close friend this past week, I opened up about my fears in building that resume...only to find that there is a much bigger resume that we must hand in...to Him, the real Boss. Here's my story...I have a younger cousin who aspires to be a teacher, just like me. She applied to Con-Ed at Queen's and York, just like me. She has a big heart to be educate the next generation, just like me. The biggest difference we have between us is the fact that she got into all the universities that didn't accept me. In addition, she had the financial circumstances to go on educational exchange trips to Quebec City. Although I have gotten over the fact that I am not living in Cynthia's Plan A, pressure started building when I felt that our relatives began comparing us. They didn't say it out loud, but I felt it. And I am certain that this feeling will only continue to haunt me. I can tell that in the near future, they will compare our job opportunities, salary and credentials. This chain reaction got me feeling extremely frustrated, because for the first time, I felt that I wasn't good enough.

    However, my friend encouraged me with words of reminder that after we die, we aren't taking anything with us. The experience and great resume will become nothing but a sheet of paper labelled Cynthia's Eulogy. In fact, people won't pay attention to that because it is valued just as much as a lab report, newspaper article and facebook post. The things that we leave behind are the feelings and memories that people experience being around us. Did we make them feel encouraged, happy and inspired after our conversations? Where we able to exemplify the joy knowing that we are saved? How are we able to use our job to spread positivity in such a sad, sad world? That's the resume we need to hand in to the Heavenly Father, who commands us to care for His sheep, love the unlovable. At the end of our conversation, we concluded that this is all about the real deal, being kingdom-oriented. As oppose to orienting our lives around things like reputation, money and power, we should not hinder ourselves from serving in the local church. A lot of the time, we walk away from serving in church because it's not a reputable/prestigious place, but that's where the lost are...so where should you be?

~cho

"Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things." ~Colossians 3:2