An Apprentice Again

When I first became a believer in Christ, I was 16 years old. In the years that followed, a whole new world opened up as I began walking out what it meant to truly follow Him.

The world felt like my oyster. At that age, the future shimmered with possibility. I could go anywhere, do almost anything—or at least it felt that way. I was deeply drawn to anything that helped me learn more about Jesus and what it meant to be His disciple. And still, even amid that spiritual awakening, I was determined to go to law school.

I imagine Jesus smiling as I made my plans, because during the summer break before my junior year of high school, I stepped into what I can only describe as an unexpected apprenticeship—and everything became... well, kaleidoscopic.

Even now, I can feel the excitement bubbling up just thinking about it. Life became an adventure. Everything felt new, and I was all in. I’m not exaggerating when I say it was like colors became a thousand times more vivid—as if a gray haze had been lifted from my life.

What marked those early years of faith was a passionate desire to do whatever Jesus asked, no matter the cost. It wasn’t always easy, but it was absolutely worth it.

I did lose friendships during my senior year—some people thought I’d gone off the deep end. And in a way, they were right. I had changed completely. I had become a new person, and I never wanted to go back to the shallows again.

I had become a pupil of the Prince of Peace. No longer just a scrappy fighter trying to figure out life on my own, I was learning from the Wonderful Counselor Himself. It was on-the-job training, baby.

Most of the time, all I could do was follow closely, watch His moves, and try to learn a thing or two along the way. Transformation was inevitable.

At the Christian university I attended, I learned a lot—both in the classroom and through service. I had the chance to pour into middle schoolers through a local church, and I went on missions trips that gave me a glimpse of God’s work across cultures and nations.

After college, I found myself at a crossroads. I sensed God inviting me into vocational ministry. I was just 21, and though I still felt a strong pull toward law school, following Christ's direction was what I wanted most.

It was a crisis of vocation—but I said yes. And from that point on, things just exploded.

For 16 years, I served in vocational ministry—working on staff at a local church and pouring into high school and college students, both here in the U.S. and abroad. It was an incredible season.

But life has a way of weathering even the most eager followers.

Where I once traveled the world to share what I had learned, I now find myself in a new season. I'm still learning. Still growing. Still an apprentice of the Prince of Peace.

I like to think I’m still a raw recruit in the Kingdom—because I’m still being invited.

This is the same invitation I couldn’t pass up then, and I can’t pass up now.

Today, I’m tired and worn out—but for different reasons than when I was 16. There are new areas of loss I’m reckoning with, and healing I need to experience. I'm in desperate need of rest. But I believe that as I come to Him again, as I learn from Him once more, I will find exactly what I’m looking for—just like I did back then.

"Jesus resumed talking to the people, but now tenderly. “The Father has given me all these things to do and say.... But I’m not keeping it to myself; I’m ready to go over it line by line with anyone willing to listen.

Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” Matthew 11:27-30

"God does not respond to what we do; we respond to what God does. We've finally figured it out. Our lives get in step with God and all others by letting him set the pace, not by proudly or anxiously trying to run the parade." Romans 3:27-28

Apprenticeship - "On the job" training and related instruction to acquire a skill or take up a specific trade.