This past Friday I had the privilege of talking to my mentor Dan Hwang. He is an orthodontist and he has been counseling and guiding me since freshman year of high school. He has helped me with everything from picking a college to deciding what my major should be. Because of the impact he has already had in my life I have asked him to facetime me this semester in order to help me throughout this semester.
For our first conversation Dan and I began talking about how my semester was going. For those of you who don't know, I switched from Pre-Med to Bus/Econ and Computer Science this semester because I couldn't see myself spending the next decade of my life in medical school. Because this was the major focus of the last conversation we had, he wanted to make sure that I was feeling good about the decision that I had made.
I then proceeded to ask him questions about knowing and being sure of God's plan for me. He told me that it was okay to worry, and then he gave me a verse: Hebrews 13:20-21. After talking a while about both of our futures, we decided to start a devotional together called "Purpose of a Driven Life.". We chose this book together to try and listen/see what God may be planning for our lives.
We ended the phone call in a prayer and we set a date for our next facetime.
Kyong, I think this is great, that you have a mentor who supports you, encourages you, and affirms you in these ways! A great thing we can constantly have as Children of God is Scripture flowing through our thoughts constantly. These are the truths that not only satisfy us, but they also guide us in the direction God is leading us. I would encouraage you to continue to communicate with Dan and have him continue to share biblical truths with you. In doing this your eyes will continue to be opened to what type of Man of God He is shaping you to be!
ReplyDeleteI would love to hear more about Dan and challenges he faces and how he works through them on a day to day basis in future blogs!
Jack Stradinger
Kyong, I'm glad you and Dan were able to have this discussion. The decision to drop Pre-Med for Computer Science and Business Economics was very difficult, I'm sure, and I appreciate your willingness to share. I've found that many people I've spoken with identify with this problem; commitment to a career and vocation is a choice with massive ramifications, and we can only speculate as to who we'll be a few years down the line. One of the comforting things with the Business Economics major (for me at least) is its universality. There are very few industries where there is no marketing, management, or finance side of things. Unfortunately, the ambiguity this entails can be frightening as well. Hopefully the devotionals turn out to be a great resource, I'd be interested to see a follow up post on any effects they might have!
ReplyDeleteKyong, what a great conversation! Vocation is definitely a struggle for a lot of people, and I think it's really great that Dan was willing to talk through that issue with you. As college students, we are so often surrounded by people who are just as confused and overwhelmed as we are; to have someone older and more experienced to discuss life decisions with is incredibly valuable. I am also really encouraged to hear the way that he helped to reassure you with scripture. From personal experience, it seems to me that some of the greatest spiritual growth occurs when Christians observe the example set by older Christian role models, so I think it is really great that Dan is a part of your life.
ReplyDeleteIt is very encouraging for me to see that other people have the same struggles that I do when choosing a vocation. So thank you for posting about it. I can tell this was a very hard choice for you but it seems that your mentor is a very smart man who is trying to get you to do what is best for you.
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