Andy Cheung is a couple of weeks into the Master of Divinity program at Mars Hill Graduate School. He writes about this beginning and of transitioning into life away from home.

–

The Texas heat had subsided to a relatively manageable 95 degrees.  Inside we remained unaffected, enjoying the luxury of modern air-conditioning.  This was one of my last nights with friends in Dallas, and we spent it like so many nights before.  Sitting on the couch, watching TV, and enjoying each other’s company.  For me this was perfect.  I was in my element, fully at ease and completely comfortable.

In a couple of days I would be leaving for the unknown.  The thought of which filled me with a small sense fear and anxious anticipation.  I had never lived outside of Texas before and knew only a couple of people in Seattle.  How was I going to adjust?  Was I going to make any friends?  What if choosing to move turned out to be a mistake?    As I allowed my mind to travel back to these thoughts, the feeling of unsettledness would grow.  But tonight I was in my element, fully at ease and completely comfortable.

As the evening winded down, one friend asked, “What expectations did I have for the next few years?  It is the kind of question that can bring you back to that place of fear and anxious anticipation, as it did that night.  However as the first day of classes draws near, I’m growing more aware of a sense to set aside the expectations and fear, and to start enjoying the journey.

Like any other journey it will be filled with its lows and highs.  There will be times of joy and triumph, as well as times of trials and heartache.  There will be new stories and experiences, all of which will help to shape and transform the person I am today.  Most importantly, amidst all the fear and overwhelming expectations the journey is also full of possibility and hope.  So rather than project how I hope this journey might turn out, I am choosing to take it all in stride.  I am choosing to capture the moment, rather than anticipate the future.

Back home in Texas we would often close our worship gatherings by sending people off to start a new week with a blessing written by Larry Hem.  As I prepared to leave Dallas and start this new journey, I was reminded of this blessing once again:

“May all your expectations be frustrated.  May all your plans be thwarted.  May all your desires be withered into nothingness, that you may experience the powerlessness and poverty of a child and sing and dance in the love of God who is Father, Son and Spirit.”