Vocation

My roommate Lindsey is one of my closest friends and I love her dearly, but when she came back from being home all weekend, she was singing songs and not just any song, Christmas carols. I for one am someone who starts listening to Christmas music on November 1, so while I had been listening to Christmas carols on and off I was not prepared for “Jingle Bell Rock” and “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” to be sung as high as possible. After Lindsey had finished her impromptu concert in our dorm room, she boldly claimed that it is “Christmas season friends!” My first thought was “Lindsey, it’s not even thanksgiving. Save the concert for after thanksgiving!” I let her be though for two reasons: (1) Who was I to ruin her fun, and (2) It did seem relaxing, and I had been stressing a little bit because I had not gotten my midterm back from one of my professors. She asked me to join her, and I did. We sang Christmas carols in our shoebox of a dorm room for probably close to an hour. I’m surprised we did not receive a noise complaint to be honest because Lindsey is especially loud.

At this point in the semester, I am feeling a lot of different emotions. I am not stressed by coursework, but I know that the end of the semester can be a stressful time for any college student. Between work, school, and extracurricular activities and social life it can seem like the world is spinning. Not to mention the pressure that can come with trying to get good grades and finish the semester on the right note. Sometimes, it is the littlest things that can help (such as an impromptu Christmas sig along session in your dorm room after a Patriots game), or helping someone find their way around Boston University’s sometimes intimidating campus.

I’ve gotten a lot of things out of my time at Boston University,and I’m grateful for the amazing opportunities that have been given to me. My internship at Marsh is a gift from God and I have gotten more out of it than I ever thought possible. It has even helped me find my chosen career path. I have made so many friends at Marsh and it has given me what I needed, especially as a student someone from a smaller school where there was no real sense of community. I feel blessed to be able to to go to Marsh and serve not just the school but also the Lord. The internship at Marsh Chapel has made the transition so much easier for me. Additionally, my work with Alpha phi Omega has also given me a purpose as well. Serving others is my passion and I am grateful to have the opportunity to serve others.

We have a bible verse that is essentially the Johnson Family’s verse. My parents even had it included in their wedding vows, and we say it all the time at home:

“Jesus answered, ‘The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength”

– Mark 12:29-30

This verse has gotten our family through so much, and is such an important passage in my life. I follow this passage every day. I have found that it means that we live by faith every day, and we love God with all of our being and live our lives the way God would want us to, loving all children of God, regardless of sexual orientation, ethnicity, race, socioeconomic background, etc. God calls us to love everyone, and that is especially important in today’s society. If we love all others, then we have done what God wants us to do, and that is more than enough.