I should have kept a time sheet, honestly, to prove just how faithful I was in the buzzer-beater moments of my undergrad. I spent my mornings, .07 mechanical pencil in hand (the most sacred of all writing utensils) ready to record even the slightest hint of God’s direction in my Moleskine journal – so original. I was determined not to fall prey to the ills of grad checks, library fines, and the crowd favorite, “what are you doing after you graduate?” I had to-do lists and I had certainty – what else could I possibly need?
Sometimes I can’t help but think about the laughter God experiences because of me. The compassionate, “I love you” kind of laughter like when a friend shares the story about how she tripped up the stairs twice before getting to class. I’ve always been the responsible friend, proudly sporting a “J” at the end of my Meyer’s Briggs. It’s who I am. And, as much as I love that my friend will probably never be a morning person, I think God loves my rule-following ridiculousness too.
My faithfulness took flight over the final few weeks of undergrad as I crafted the resume of all resumes. It was the air-brushed version of my best self, with a color combination that would capture the hearts of my readers so quickly and completely that they couldn’t not hire me. Either I was wrong (unlikely), or all of my e-mails got lost in cyberspace. I think the answer here is obvious.
So there’s this verse that I think I would still forget even if it was tattooed on my face. “His master replied, well done my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things.” (Matthew 25:23)
For my fellow achievers in this life, I think you’d appreciate my version a little better: “Her supervisor replied, high-five Mags. You really knocked that out of the park. You’re on time to things, you’re a team-player, and you’re really making a difference here. Honestly, because you just keep proving how awesome you are, let me go ahead and put you in charge.” Music to my ears.
Faithful. The word is faithful. A different kind of faithful than mine – and I think it’s in there twice just for me. Let me share some things Jesus could have said but didn’t:
- On-time
- Easy-going
- Friendly
- Likeable
- Over-achieving
- Brilliant
- Motivated
- Organized
- Outgoing
- Funny
- Hardworking
- Talented
- Well-rounded
- Well-spoken
- Confident
Faithful. My good and faithful servant. Cue white flag. Jesus means it.
Faithfulness, in this 23-year-old, rule-following, grace-infused heart of mine is beginning to mean these things:
- Actually believing that working with Preston Taylor Ministries is better than any other option I could have possibly been offered
- Being way safer and secure than not, because the responsibility to “make sure everything works out” is now God’s, not mine
- Crying with a student’s mom on her front steps because life is just hard
- Being cursed out by a 10-year-old while still somehow letting him know he’s cherished
- Living (and working) (and doing pretty much everything) with four perfect strangers
- Having someone look me in the face and tell me they don’t care about my God
- Hearing a 17-year-old say “you’re the first person I’ve ever told.”
Life as a 2016-2017 LEAP Staff is as unpredictable as I expected, and I still do all of my laundry in one load (sorry dad), but the experiences of this year are far better than anything my little mind could have imagined.
About Maggie
A tried and true 3-time camp counselor with a zest for friendship, goal-setting, and caramel drizzle at Starbucks. Maggie is best known for her Spotify playlists, obnoxiously small handwriting, conversations that last 3 hours too long, and passionate distaste of anything coconut. She graduated from Florida State University in April 2016 with her Bachelor’s degree in Social Work, with a focus in Women’s Studies.