About this time five years ago, I received notice from my admissions counselor that I was accepted into the Master of Theology program at Dallas Theological Seminary. I was so excited--I was going to move to Dallas (one of my favorite cities) and get a prestigious degree from a prestigious school. I still had a few months left before I finished my studies at John Brown University, but I just wanted to fast forward time and skip ahead to my new life in Dallas.
However, as my last semester at JBU kept going, I began to feel less and less peace about going to DTS. I was still very excited, but not as excited as when I was first accepted. I began to talk to teachers and administrators whom I trusted, and I eventually came to the very hard decision that I would not be attending DTS that fall.
I am a very different person now than I would have been if I had gone to DTS. I wanted to go to DTS with the intention of eventually becoming a Bible teacher or professor, so if I had gone to DTS I may be working at a college now or maybe working on a doctorate. Also, I probably would have spent several years of the recession living on student loans instead of earning a paycheck.
Regardless of what could have happened, I don't think my life would have turned out bad if I had made a different decision about school. However, my life has turned out very well, and I'm confident I made the right choice. In the five years since I decided to not attend DTS, I earned a master's degree (not a fancy DTS master's degree, but it's served me well), I've had three great jobs, I got married, I was involved in a church plant, and I've started to see my career aspirations be shaped into a realistic and tangible path.
A lot great things have happened to me since I decided to not attend DTS. Honestly, I don't even think about DTS much anymore, and I truly have no regrets about not going. The difference between who I am today and who I could have been came down largely to a decision.
What are you deciding? Maybe you're the opposite of where I was, and you really do need to go to seminary. Maybe you're on the edge of faith and you're almost ready to commit to God. Maybe you're thinking about asking her to marry you, looking for a different job, or moving to a different state or country.
The difference between who you are now and who you will be in five years comes down to decisions. Don't take them lightly and don't rush into anything, but don't put off that decision if you know it's the right choice.
The next step is yours. Identify what decisions you need to make, figure out what you think is best, ask someone you trust, and then jump into it. The person you'll be in five years will thank you!
However, as my last semester at JBU kept going, I began to feel less and less peace about going to DTS. I was still very excited, but not as excited as when I was first accepted. I began to talk to teachers and administrators whom I trusted, and I eventually came to the very hard decision that I would not be attending DTS that fall.
I am a very different person now than I would have been if I had gone to DTS. I wanted to go to DTS with the intention of eventually becoming a Bible teacher or professor, so if I had gone to DTS I may be working at a college now or maybe working on a doctorate. Also, I probably would have spent several years of the recession living on student loans instead of earning a paycheck.
Regardless of what could have happened, I don't think my life would have turned out bad if I had made a different decision about school. However, my life has turned out very well, and I'm confident I made the right choice. In the five years since I decided to not attend DTS, I earned a master's degree (not a fancy DTS master's degree, but it's served me well), I've had three great jobs, I got married, I was involved in a church plant, and I've started to see my career aspirations be shaped into a realistic and tangible path.
A lot great things have happened to me since I decided to not attend DTS. Honestly, I don't even think about DTS much anymore, and I truly have no regrets about not going. The difference between who I am today and who I could have been came down largely to a decision.
What are you deciding? Maybe you're the opposite of where I was, and you really do need to go to seminary. Maybe you're on the edge of faith and you're almost ready to commit to God. Maybe you're thinking about asking her to marry you, looking for a different job, or moving to a different state or country.
The difference between who you are now and who you will be in five years comes down to decisions. Don't take them lightly and don't rush into anything, but don't put off that decision if you know it's the right choice.
The next step is yours. Identify what decisions you need to make, figure out what you think is best, ask someone you trust, and then jump into it. The person you'll be in five years will thank you!
