In his poem “Chicago,” the late American poet Carl Sandburg described it as a city “under the terrible burden of destiny, laughing as a young man laughs.” But as a young student at SFU, I never felt like laughing under this burden.
I grew up in a Christian household and was
raised in the church, but much of my upbringing was very similar to the rest of
my peers who didn’t grow up in the church. This similarity is that we all carry
the burden of destiny: the burden to succeed and the burden to find purpose. As Christians, we often carry this burden of
destiny in the question of “what is God’s will for me?” This single question is
related to so many others such as pursuing a career, relationships, finding a
church, moving to a new city, and so many more. This October, I underwent a month
long season of deep unhappiness caused by feeling “stuck.” I would spend
despair over my lack of purpose and how I felt that I did not belong in the
life I was currently living. The core of this unhappiness was ultimately due to
a lack of understanding what God’s will for me was. I thought that God’s will
was a bulls eye, a single target that I must aim towards and that “missing it”
or living outside of God’s will and desires would lead to a derailing of my
life. I would pour prayer upon prayer upon His alter, in hopes that He would
tell me what I needed to know to fulfill His will but often to no avail.
It was during this
time I felt the need to seek God again in the Scriptures. During my time in
Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship at SFU (and under Justin’s mentorship), I
began to seek solace and happiness from Scripture and how it was indeed “alive
and active (Hebrews 4:12).” While I was studying Mark with IVCF SFU, God
completely transformed my understanding about how I think about his will. Mark
1:38 says that Jesus went all throughout Galilee to preach; He came to preach
about the kingdom of God (Mark 1:14). God’s will is actually remarkably clear,
his will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have
eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day (John 6:40).” This is
the will of God: the salvation of all and the destruction of none. It is that
all people would be reconciled to God through Jesus Christ, who became sin for
us so that we might become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21). This
is His will from Genesis when he promises Christ as an answer to humanity’s sin
and brokenness, all the way until Revelation when he says, “Behold, I am making
all things new (Revelation:21:5).” Rather
than analyzing every action I make and whether they are a part of God’s will or
not, I am instead led to ask, “How can I join into God’s great plan of
redemption and reconciliation?” Rather than trying to fit God’s great will
into my tiny life; I can ask myself how I, with the gifts and talents that God
has given me, can participate more in His will rather than seeking to my own
will. No matter where I am or stage of life I am in, in conversations with
friends and family, within my church, within my school and community, and with
IVCF SFU, I can join into God’s great will. God set me free from the terrible
burden of destiny and instead set me free. And in my freedom, I am free to join
in God’s great will, not just for me, but for all people. He has made known to
me the paths of life and made me glad in His presence (Acts 2:28). Because in
Christ, I can truly laugh as a young man laughs; not because I am under the
“terrible burden of destiny,” but because I know I am living under the great
will of God.
In Christ,
Abraham Wu
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