I touched down today in Johannesburg, South Africa, to visit an old friend and learn something about another face of Africa.
One conversation we had (among about ten thousand) was about my upcoming year in Nepal. He understood well the extraordinary opportunity that lies ahead of me, and reflecting on his reaction, I got to think about how I fell into this trip. I had applied for many teaching positions and many post-doctoral study programs upon completing my doctorate at Boston College. In the end, the least likely of all of them, the long shot, a Fulbright grant to study Tibean Buddhism in Nepal for a year, came through.
In one sense, therefore, this trip and the change in the direction of my life it will bring about is accidental. I fell into it, I didn't really plan it or make it happen. But I feel as if someone did. I left it in God's hands, and secretly hoped it would not come about, because I am afraid that I am not up to the challenge. But it did come about, and not only that, it seems every day to be more and more the right place to be at the right time. I am challenged and stretched, worried and humbled that God continues to prepare the way for me, taking care of the details that I have no control over.
I need to take this process more seriously. God is in charge. God has brought me here and will call me to the next place. My life is not accidental, even tough it is not under my control. There is a hand at work here that at times I can feel but often I do not credence enough. What God's plan is here I don't see, but I guess I am OK with that. I can see what lies in front of me today.