Hello everyone! Those of you who know me, know that for the past 10 years or so, I have planned to be a high school teacher and coach. I always had the desire to help others, and to build people up to become who God intended them to be.
Let’s start from the beginning. This may be a little lengthy, but here’s my story.
The idea of being a History teacher began when I was in sixth grade, I wanted to be a teacher and coach sports. I loved History, so to me that just made sense. From sixth grade until my Freshmen year of college I still wanted to be a History teacher. I never questioned it.
When I started my second semester of college something didn’t really feel right anymore, but I brushed it off and didn’t think anything of it because I just assumed it was because I was new to the whole college thing.
As the year went on, I felt less and less like I belonged in that particular field. Don’t get me wrong, I liked History, but I didn’t really care anymore. I felt out of place. I felt like I was needing to do and be something else.
Over the summer of 2018, after serving on a leadership team with my college ministry, and going on my first mission trip to Provo, Utah, something profound hit me as I was contemplating this new desire. I had never really prayed about what God wanted me to do with my life. I just knew that History education and coaching was what I like, and I was going to pursue that no matter what. I liked helping people, so I was going to use the profession of a teacher to do so. I looked into changing my major but had no idea what my options were. I still didn’t quite know what else I would be good at.
One of my best friends looked at me and said something that changed everything for me, “What are you passionate about?” My first thought was ministry, seeing that I was doing a lot of that at that time, but I didn’t want to do that because I grew up in church and was always labeled the “Church Boy.” You could even make the joke that I was a drug baby growing up. I was drug to the church every time it was open. 🤣
So, ministry?……no thank you!
I started that fall semester of 2018 (still as a history major) and that feeling of being out of place had become too overwhelming and I broke down. I began to explore and intentionally pray to see what God would want me to do, but the more I sought HIM , the more I felt a tug in my heart.
I needed to surrender to this.
But before I did anything, I continued to pray about it. I intentionally prayed about it for 3 weeks and fasted 3 days. I sought counsel from my college pastor, read some books on calling to ministry, and talked to some friends who had gone through what I was going through.
Finally, on August 2, 2018, I stopped fighting God and surrendered my life to the Gospel Ministry.
Now, where am I at a year later you might ask? Well God has given me the opportunity to be on staff at Central Baptist Church as an intern with the children’s ministry. I now have the privilege to preach God’s word each Wednesday night to fifty plus 5th and 6th graders and I love what I get to do.
I am also currently in the season of this call, on searching and praying about what seminary God would have me to go to.
Some might ask, why wait over a year to announce this big life change? I’m glad you asked. I waited because I felt that the Lord wanted me to wait, and I knew he would give me the right timing to announce this. Timing is always key.
Now do I totally know what that means for me in the future, or what the final destination is for me in God’s plan? Absolutely not!
A year later, and I still have no idea of God’s full plan. I only know that He wants me to go to seminary and pursue a deeper knowledge of Him.
I have no idea what I’ll be doing as a pastor of a local Church one day, or where for that matter; but in my prayer and daily reading of Scripture, the Lord continues to speak into my heart something that I have to remind myself of daily:
“Be still and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10)
I’m also reminded of a verse in James,
“Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. Instead, you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.’” (James 4:14-15)
The Lord has instructed me not to think about tomorrow, not to worry about what is going to happen 40 years from now. The future is not in my hands, the Lord asked me for my obedience, and He promised to provide the rest. The God Who called me to it will take care of me through it. “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 1:6)
The Lord has asked me to trust Him. He has asked me to leave my comfort zone. He has called me out of the boat to walk upon the waters. He has asked me to keep my eyes locked on His.
I know I will not have everyone’s complete support and I understand that, the only thing I ask is that you try to understand me. Understand that I have the opportunity to do what I’m passionate about for the rest of my life, understand that this is what I’ve been called to, and please understand that for the first time since coming to college I am happy with what I am doing.
I know this will not make sense to everyone, but God is not the God of making sense, He is the God of miracles. You cannot tell me that the Creator of the universe sending His son to die for our sinful nature makes sense. You cannot tell me the resurrection makes sense because it doesn’t. That is the God I serve. That is the God I am devoting the rest of life to.
Hey, thank you for taking the time to read my story. Much love!
Jamal
jamalrodgers.com 
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