Today I wrapped up another chapter in my life experiences. I ended my tenure at Seneca Foods in Rochester Minnesota.
To give a little background, Seneca Foods is a local factory that cans vegetables. They pick them in fields throughout southeast MN, bring them into the plant, process and can them to be bought by companies like Wal-mart.
My specific job in this whole system was to operate the scale the trucks would weigh on as they came in and out. Needless to say, it wasn't exactly mentally challenging, there was a lot of down time, and I don't plan on making a career out of it. But my point is not to throw the past months away as a "summer job" and move on with my life. Rather, my experience at Seneca has further opened my eyes to the world in which I live.
Let me take a step back and tell you what I am driving at: don't live your life in a bubble or a rut, experiencing the same thing over and over again with the same people in the same place. It leads to stagnation in your life, which can lead to dissatisfaction, grumpiness, even depression.
As I continue to grow, gain more independence and experience more of the world I gain a deeper gratification for my past experiences as well as continued excitement for the next thing to come along.
But there was a time not too long ago where the idea of change was terrifying, and to a large degree it still is.
The biggest hammer to knock down my fear of change was when I attended school in Jackson TN, hundreds of miles away from where I grew up. I didn't know a soul there and I didn't have any idea what I wanted to do with myself. There were many times in my first semester where my home-sickness was so strong there was nothing more I wanted than to hop on a bus home and hold myself as a sat alone in my parent's house.
But it struck me one day - I believe it was divine providence - that other people have gone through such change, and many had gone through much worse change, like being forced out of their home. I realized that my hatred for my situation came from myself, and I was the only thing holding myself back from making my situation the best possible it could be.
So I came back to Union for my second semester with a goal in mind - find a niche, make a place for myself and expand my views. Skipping all the details in between, I would like to think I have done just that, and it is weird but when I stopped hating my situation and opened myself up things actually got better.
Now I try to make the best of every situation I find myself in, especially the new ones.
Which brings me full circle to Seneca.
I am far from the typical employee at that establishment. Few people there outwardly proclaim Christianity, most everyone smokes or chews tobacco, and the talk - laced with profanity - centers around going to bars and strip joints. My job was to interact with all these people, often balancing opposing egos in the attempt to please everyone.
In my first few days, I hated the job and wanted to quit, but again I resolved myself to make the best of the situation. I worked hard, didn't hide from my faith, and did my best to be an enjoyable person. Weirdly, it worked and the workers in the plant and the truckers all enjoyed working with me - at least outwardly - and today when I was saying my goodbyes they were genuinely sad to see me go.
From this I want to make two statements. One is the overwhelming power and grace that God gives to believers. I do not doubt for one minute that it was his good people were seeing through me that made them like me, and for such grace I cannot thank God enough, and let me encourage my fellow believers that even if you find yourself "in the lion's den" of the world you should not shy from your faith, because that makes you look weak to non-believers. Rather stand your ground on your beliefs, not making any concessions while at the same time not harassing others who oppose your views. It's a balancing act.
The second point I want to make is that from my time spent with worldly people, I have gained such a better understanding of how people think and go about their daily lives. I grew up in a Christian household, going to church and a Christian school my whole life - even now I attend a Christian University. I'm not saying this is a bad thing (rather I think it has bolstered my faith to be surrounded by giants of the faith), but I have lived in a bubble. Getting to experience life outside that bubble has been good for me.
So let me summarize what I am saying to my readers.
Jump at the opportunities that come your way. Making the best of any situation pans out to create invaluable experiences in life.
Look always to God for guidance in how you should act and seek his grace in your actions.
Do this while you are young. It's good to see more and more as you grow to help you develop into a more well-rounded individual. Breaking down barriers that make you uncomfortable let you have a bigger personality and help you to seek better opportunities later in life.
Finally, never stop loving life. There is so much in the wide world for us to experience I just don't know why you would let yourself become stagnant, but the more you experience life, the greater you come to love it.
I always love seeing elderly people who haven't lost their joy of living, because I know it's possible to never lose that joy - and who really wants to grow to be a miser? Love your place in life, look always for a better future, and you will see a brighter path ahead.
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