As the year comes to a close, I find myself really focusing on being and staying connected to my calling. When I first got here, that was my question and goal to focus on. I needed to discern and spiritually connect with God to find out what he was exactly calling me to do be and do.
Through the journey of reconnecting with myself and connecting with God through new mediums, I began to understand that my call is a direct reflection of who I am. I have to be firm in myself and God if I am to stay connected to what I am here to do.
Through that journey of communion within, I realized I am a seeker of healing, and because of that I am also a healer. I seek to learn, so naturally I teach. Lastly, I am a fighter for human rights, and so I am an activist.
Having deeper knowledge of who I am has clearly helped reveal to me where I’m going and what I will be doing. It’s not just about going to seminary, it’s about learning and communing with God on a deeper and wider level so that my ministry can have that depth and reach many.
Having this year to commune with God and myself was more than I could ask for. I didn’t anticipate that he would reveal himself to me in so many ways. I never could have imagined that I would grow so much spiritually and find joy in my pain. The things I am walking away with will last me a lifetime. For the first time in my life, I understand what it
means to truly walk by faith and not by sight.
I have no idea how things are going to look in the future, but I feel right in my spirit, I feel alive, and I feel excited. I know that because I am walking in my calling, all that is required and needed will be provided. I just have to stay in communion with God, myself, and my community so that I can be sure I am on the right path.
So I can truly end by saying, “Stay the course, Trust the process.”
— Ashley Reid begins her studies at San Francisco Theological Seminary this fall.
