Anything that is of any importance in our lives must at some point come under subjection and scrutiny. Questions must be asked of ourselves that seek to determine the heartbeat of our motives and ascertain whether our current course of travel is driven by the convening of external influences or by the response of something much deeper within us. The world around us never ceases to lure our hearts with opportunity and the promise of adventure… we are captivated by the challenge of going places we’ve been before, exploring new territory, meeting new people and seeing the world through new eyes. In light of this and in light of my own inherent weakness for the love of travel, I recently came to a pivotal point in this journey where I had to consider with all devout seriousness and contemplation the purity of my motives in being a forerunner in this ministry.

I walked for hours along a lonely beach one Friday evening seeking answers from the roar of the waves as to whether I was being true to myself and honorable to the responsibility that had been entrusted to me. ‘Many are called, few are chosen’... these resounding words penetrated my spirit with such conviction that I found myself wrestling with the question of whether my involvement with free to be kids was simply coincidental or whether it was indeed purposed for such a time as this.

It’s amazing how the ocean in its greatness can bestow upon us such clarity of thought and depth of understanding. The vastness of the ocean conveys to our spirits an impatient intolerance for the trivial, the small-minded, the unimportant and inconsequential matters of life, and compels us to question the greater aspirations of our destiny and purpose. It took an ocean for me to see clearly the great responsibility that had been entrusted to me and to know with all truthfulness what my response must be. It took an ocean for me to realize that if I was not pursuing this course of justice as a response far deeper than the sentimental ideal of kind-hearted compassion, I should release it immediately as the shoreline lets go the tide. It took an ocean for me to feel with agonizing conviction how deeply I was impassioned to fight for this cause and an ocean to know with unwavering belief that I had been chosen for this task and my responsibility to the call far outweighed the trivial deviations of life that had sought to divert my attention. This humbling memory is one that will forever define and strengthen my involvement in this cause, in its painful process it made me see more clearly that it’s not about me… its promise is rooted not in some esoteric, excitement alluring or adventure-flung ideal, but rather founded in the simple and humbling hope that my life could contribute to a cause above my own.