Photo by Ryk Neethling

By Wendy Choy-Chan

When I first considered going into seminary, a church friend asked if I had a calling to full-time ministry.  My answer was, “not really…  I just love to study the Bible and what I am getting at church and elsewhere is not enough.”  She then said, quite bluntly, that I shouldn’t go because I didn’t have a calling.

Fast forward to a few years later, as I was already a seminary student and thinking about further studies after my Master’s degree, another friend told me not to push myself too hard, because “it is just a hobby – for interest and self enrichment only” –  not as if I depended on my education for a job later on.

Despite these comments, I know that God has called me into seminary, even though He has not told me what He has planned for me after I graduate.  I know what my gifts are, but I don’t know in what capacity God wants me to use them after I finish school.  I dread when people ask me what my plan is after seminary, because the comments mentioned above would come back to haunt me.

To be honest, I am alright if seminary does turn out to be just a hobby.  I have enjoyed doing research that I would never have picked up on my own, thinking through tough questions that have enriched my faith, and sharing ideas with fellow classmates from all walks of life.  And the experience and growth I gained from seminary have helped me to better serve at church.  For all I know, I might become a professional seminary student for life!  However, I believe that God doesn’t intend this to be a selfish endeavor, not giving back what I have learned.

But I don’t know what my next calling is.

I used to joke that God must have something big planned for me, so big that if He told me right now, it would scare me from proceeding.  Well, I must say now, that what I am experiencing at this moment is already something big, even though I haven’t finished my studies yet, nor am I in any particular ministry.  It is not something in the future, it is not something “after” seminary, but it is the present. It is being able to do something I like (a hobby) which also happens to be something God wants me to do (a calling) – at this present moment.  This is that “something big.”

So, no I don’t know what will happen after I graduate.  And no, God has not called me into full-time ministry (yet).  But yes, I am so thankful that God has called me to pursue my hobby – and I am answering his call right here, right now.

Wendy Choy-Chan came to North America from Hong Kong when she was 15.  She is now a full-time mom and part-time student at Fuller Northwest studying for her MA in Theology.  She lives with her husband and two daughters in Seattle, WA.