Life-Changing Moments

I was recently asked to describe an event in my past that had a significant impact on my life and who I am.  As you may guess, that is a hard question to answer!  Everything we go through shapes and changes us in some way.  If I thought about it long enough, I suspect that my list of "life-changing moments" would be very long!  I ended up giving two responses to the question.  I thought it was an interesting process to think about how certain events in my life have impacted me, so I decided that I would share my list with you too!  And now there are three things, because I added another one....  I'd better hurry and finish writing this post before I think of more to add!

Families living together
When I was growing up, there were a couple different occasions when we had friends who were moving and needed a place to stay between houses, and so they stayed with my family.  This generally resulted in over ten people living in the same house.  As a kid, I loved it!  It was like getting to have friends over all the time!  But I also learned a lot from it and appreciated it at a much deeper level that really impacted me.  I got to experience community living in a very real way.  I learned that it is not always easy, but that it can be very rewarding.  I appreciated getting to know people better and loved always having lots of people around the table for dinner.  I think that was something that sowed the seed for my desire and calling to live in community all the time, having a home that is always full of people.

Homeschool plays
As a kid I really loved theatre, but never had a chance to be involved in much beyond church productions and putting together random skits with friends.  At one point, when I was 14, I wrote a script, and apparently I was annoying my mom by continuing to talk about how someone should use my script to put on a play (at least that's what she told me later), so to get me to stop talking about it she just said, "Well, why don't you put on the play yourself?"  I took her seriously, and began directing homeschool plays.

Directing homeschool plays became a yearly thing that continued until I left for Bible School.  That affected me a lot, providing a context to grow in confidence, and learn valuable skills.  I discovered that theatre is a powerful tool for building community and helping others.

A Really Hard Job
At one point I worked several months in a job that I found very challenging.  The work itself wasn't too bad, but I was interacting daily with people who were going through a very hard time in their life.  I found myself wanting to help them, but felt inadequate and helpless.  That was what motivated me to get a degree in counselling.  My education has greatly impacted the direction of my life, not to mention the fact that I met my husband there... so I'd say that was very life-changing!

What are some life-changing moments that have shaped your life?