Every day leading up to the moment of stepping on the plane for England I would constantly contemplate what my life would be like away from everything I knew. My home, my family, my friends, the surroundings of the mountains and southern hospitality, everything would be gone and yet, I chose to start a new life for the next year. Friends and family were questioning what prompted me to desire something different, co-workers would look at me strangely when they heard I was giving up a year of his life to serve those around me and receive nothing in return, and even I would question myself and why I desired something different from the status quo. The answer? Answering the call and fulfilling the God-given desire to serve people as Christ served those with unconditional love and intentionality.
DOING LIFE
I will commonly use that phrase because I believe that’s how the Lord intended us to live- in his creation and with the people He has created. It can look like anything, from hanging out with other gap years for much-needed R&R to getting your hands dirty and doing work for those that may not be able to do it themselves. It could also look like an interaction so deep and emotion-filled that you have no idea how to react or mentoring a student that needs someone to reach out to them and simply listen. It’s messy, it’s tough, it’s draining. Yet, it is the most rewarding and humbling things that I have ever been a part of.
Living in the North East of England, I have had the opportunity to fully take advantage of this simple phrase that has such revitalisation behind it. For example, every Friday is sports club with TVYFC’s Axiom at Ropner Park and we have several kids show up to play football and hang out. One kid in particular stood out to me when he showed up and wanted to play. He’s much smaller than the rest but the life he brings to our events is irreplaceable and absolutely humorous. Yet, while on the field, he had shared with me some of his personal life in the middle of a match and it broke my heart to hear what he had gone through. I could not help but be shaken up in the middle of a match. Yet, I saw the beauty of the Lord through his personality, his attitude, and his ability to make people laugh.
The ability to do life with those around me has been extremely humbling and a sign of Christ’s intentionality to do life with me on the daily.
For those that stumble upon this blog, I encourage you to take a step in doing life with those around you. Don’t take it for granted. You may never know what the Lord could show to you in those moments.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
AARON WESCOAT
Forest, VA | 22
PROJECT: Stockton
Aaron was born in Seoul, South Korea but adopted by his family as a baby. They reside in Virginia. He graduated from Liberty University in Kinesiology and eventually would like to become a strength/sports performance coach. He loves sport and dad jokes/puns. He has a growing passion for ministry.
