Future

So I am in the middle of an intense research of college majors. Most of you know that I am a map guy. Every since I was little I have always had this interest in finding places and street arrangements. Most people think that puts me in the weirdo category. If you have known me long enough, I have been in that category a long time. Naturally, I want my college major to be in that category.
Throughout my high school life I have been bombarded with confusion on where my life should be going. Where does God want me to be? The future is always the hardest part. The unknown can be so exciting yet for people like me who don't know what exactly to do in the future it can be a little bit scary.
The truth is that in college I am looking for an affordable and excellent school that is not too close or too far away from home. That has a campus close to home and my brothers and sister's schools. It also, obviously, has to be able to academically serve my major. Right now I am looking at a major in cartography which according to many college search sites is actually a major. Cartography in the most general definition is the making and interpreting of maps (primarily making). It just seems like something I would enjoy.
My main point is what I realized today while at a prayer meeting. Due to snow, this prayer meeting was not very large. It just had me, my sister, two really cool people who happen to look like each other, and another cool person. This prayer meeting happens every week and is led by two of my friends (the really cool people I mentioned earlier). I am not sure what triggered it in my head--maybe the quick mention of college in the conversation. I am not afraid anymore. I am not going to hesitate to move forward out of fear. My future in a way is already decided. Wherever God leads me, whether to Flo Valley or to a university, I will praise His name. Whether in cartography or another major, I will praise his name. Just being around friends over the weekend and today has really made me thankful for all my friends and family and all the God has done in my life. My past and present situations were and are in God's hands. My future is in God's hands as well. I will not sit back lazily and mope about my situation. God has something waiting for me.

Purpose

Purpose. That word rings in so many people's heads all over the world. What am I doing here? Though many have attempted to answer this question there still has been only one with a solid backing to it. A pastor named Rick Warren (most have heard of him) wrote a book on this very topic. His book, The Purpose Driven Life, took the best-seller's list by storm. Just seeing the reaction to the book reveals what many people have on their mind. Why am I here?
For me the answer is so simple yet so hard to imagine or fathom. God.
I did not come to this understanding so easily. Probably the thing that struck me most was a sign. By now I am sure there are quite a few churches that have these signs. I was at Gateway Central Church of the Nazarene and on my way out of the property when I saw a sign that said, "You are now entering the mission field." It was there then that I began to truly grasp my purpose. I am surrounded by my purpose at this very moment. I am here because of God and for God, therefore my purpose is my mission field. My purpose is to live for God in the pitch black world that surrounds me, to live for Him in every moment good and bad, and to serve Him by sharing His message to those around me.
Currently, what surrounds me the most is the city (more like really large town) of St. Louis, Missouri. There are a lot of jokes about St. Louis relating to crime rate, food, sports, and even its water. Having one year where the city had the highest rated tap water and highest crime rate people would say that the water was literally "to die for." I get tired of the crime rate stuff eventually. St. Louis is really a great town but most people do not look past its reputation to see it. I have had many opportunities to see the need in my community, school, and church. This, currently is my mission field.
I will be honest with you, I do not have a clue what God has planned for me in the future. I may be in St. Louis the rest of my life or in Fort Kent, Maine. Who knows? I do not even know where I am going to college. I do know this: I am not just a teenager meant to sit in my comfort zone because I am not yet "at the age" to break out and be the person God wants me to be. God did not design me to wait eighteen years to serve Him. He set me here to be his warrior and servant. I love St. Louis with all of my heart. I love my friends with all of my heart. I love my family with all of my heart. I love God with all of my heart and I will serve Him wherever He sends me and I will show His love to everybody.
I challenge you to serve Him with absolutely everything. It is the most difficult task. There is so much riding against those who serve God. Persecution, Pain, Discouragement. Yet there is so much support. "Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain" (1 Corinthians 15:58).