Opportunities

by Cristen Vohwinkel (Next Gen A/V Ministry Assistant)

About two and a half months ago, I got a job working for a popular online magazine called “The Odyssey”. It is a website where millennials write human interest pieces about whatever they may choose. Writers commonly create lists about the best bars in their towns or all the ways their favorite TV show relates to their lives. The website, by nature, is not meant to be comprised of hard hitting journalists. We are encouraged to wait until news breaks, and then give our own opinion.

I am not a writer. In fact, I am going to school to work with animals, and a very small percentage of my professional life will be spent with a pen in hand. But I needed an extra-curricular activity for my graduate school application, so I decided that my natural writing gift and automatic strong opinions would be perfect for a place like “The Odyssey.”

I wrote at “The Odyssey” for two months before dedicating an entire article to my faith. In the wake of the Orlando shooting, I figured there was no time like the present to share about the power of prayer and the importance of not giving up on the world that God saved. It was not my most popular article, but it felt important. It was then that I realized the wonderful gift that God had given me. I now had a public forum where I could write about God … one where an editor couldn’t tell me not to. Something that didn’t seem like a big deal to me suddenly became an opportunity for God. I am reminded again that God always shows us where our opportunities in life are … we just have to listen and be brave enough to take it.