For those of you who don't know, I am blind in my left eye. It is part of my personal testimony as a Christian and it is what drives me to become an optometrist. Specifically, I want to pursue Vision Therapy and Sports Vision (how I came to this specific field is a crazy story I'll have to write about another time) in the optometric field where my love for sports collides with my professional career. It's an emerging niche field with an unclear road to success but I truly believe God has built me to the person I am to this point to pursue that profession. I went into SUNY without any expectations due to a preconceived notion (I didn't think the competitive nature of NYC would fit my personality), but this notion was quickly shattered. From the get-go I experienced the professionalism (and academic reputation) of the school and the opportunities a city of Manhattan's scale has to offer.
During the interview, the faculty asked me what I wanted to achieve in 10 years to which I responded with becoming the best Sports Vision optometrist out there. They gave me a quick smile and explained that SUNY optometry was actually built on the principles of Vision Therapy. In fact, most of the faculty there are Vision Therapists. In addition, they just opened a new Sports Vision and Performance Center this semester with Dr. Daniel Laby leading the way. He is a renowned ophthalmologist who has worked for the Boston Celtics (!!!), Boston Red Sox, Beijing Olympics, and multiple MLB teams for decades. My closed mind (fixed on my beloved home Boston) was opened as I began imagining myself in the concrete jungle of NYC.
I've always been a romantic (oolala L.O.V.E. jkjk), meaning I think big and I tend to be optimistic, but I've never ever had a lofty professional dream. Even when I decided to pursue optometry, I couldn't start letting my imagination go wild because the goal never felt imminent. Today was the first day I've ever felt greed for my career. I REALLY wanted this. This feeling I can't quite explain and I understand the double-edged nature of passion professionally, especially when it comes before my passion for Christ. But this past summer during the Cornerstone summer Bible study series, I realized that as a Christian, we are called to serve Him even in our workplaces. I used to think work life and church life were separate, but they really aren't. Where are we going to plant God's flag in our jobs?
God granted me a spontaneous vacation this week from my busy life in NoVA due to interviews at SUNY and NECO (I accidentally scheduled them in the same week lolol not smart enough to plan that myself) coincidentally colliding with my mom and sister's birthday. Looking at it now, I think He gave me this gift to settle my future plans right now. In response, the impression I'm getting is that in return, He's asking me to give my all to KCPC during the short time I have there. I learned a couple days ago that the ministry had high expectations for me due to Pastor Danny's hype and I felt so inadequate (who am I at 22 to help a ministry of 200 people?), but perhaps He wants me to mature into the guy that CAN fill those shoes. Maybe the man I become during my time in NoVA can remain strong in faith through the chaos that is Manhattan. Maybe. Who knows? Only God. Overwhelmed by Him right now. Living prayerfully.
Stay Easy,
Will
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