3/30/2019 0 Comments Reflective Journal #11One of the most difficult conversations that I have had to have is with my mother about a trip I was anticipating on taking. As a freshman in college, my mother’s opinion was hands down the opinion that I valued the most. During that first semester at college, I was presented with the opportunity to travel to Jordan in the Middle East with a Habitat for Humanity group on campus. At first, I thought the idea of going to the Middle East was a crazy idea.. “Who in the world would want to go THERE?”. However, as much as I hated the idea to begin with, the opportunity kept presenting itself, and soon I felt the call to go. I knew that if I was going to follow Jesus, I would have to do everything He told me to do, and that included going anywhere and everywhere if He asked. When I told my parents that I was pretty sure that I was going to go on this trip, it was the beginning of months of disagreeing, arguing, and tension within the household. I knew that my parents only wanted the best for me and felt obligated to protect me with everything that they had, but we continued to butt heads on this topic. At first, it made me angry that they were not willing to support me on something that I knew was a call from God. I couldn’t understand how they didn’t see the situation the same way that I did.
Soon, I let the anger go and tried explaining my situation in a different way. I stated that I could see how my mom was frustrated and scared about the trip, but I was not just going to have a fun trip. I calmly explained my heart behind why I was doing what I was doing, and we both allowed the other to talk without interrupting one another. Before long, my mom was ready to help my apply for a passport. We had finally found common ground. Shortly after that, I received word that the trip was cancelled. The point of the experience was not to go to Jordan, but to learn obedience to the Lord and to learn to communicate efficiently and respectfully. Most times when I enter into a disagreement with another person, I think back to the learning curve that was experienced concerning that trip. I am reminded that I will not always be right, and a true “right” may never be found, but there is always something to walk away with when both people feel heard and mutual respect is maintained. I am nowhere near perfect in my execution of this, but I know this is an area that I will be able to continue to grow.
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