Seeking guidance

Some would think that the weather would put a damper on everyone’s day, but Portlandians don’t care. They don’t mind the weather, they treat every day the same. Similarly, they treat every type of person the same, which is absolutely glorious. It’s incredible to see people of all types getting along, helping each other, and recognizing they might be different, but they all have the common denominator of living in Portland — so why not live with togetherness?

According to the Google Dictionary, togetherness is defined as the state of being close to another person or other people. That is exactly what it’s like here in Portland, Ore. The people live together. They all lend a helping hand and go the extra mile to make sure each other feel comfortable.

Two of my teammates wanted to go eat at a place called The Whole Bowl. After looking up bus directions to the restaurant on my iPhone, I started the journey towards The Whole Bowl, seeking nothing but a good bowl of food. My phone decided to lead me towards the Whole Bowl in downtown Portland, which is the complete opposite way of my original goal. I was lost. My iPhone began to spaz out and wouldn’t cooperate with where I wanted to go. I had to rely on my infamous sense of direction to get me to where I needed to go. I had been told the street intersection, and it was up to me to figure out how to get there.

What better way to start this adventure than to get on a random bus?

I looked at the bus driver in the eyes and calmly said, “Is this bus going to Hawthorne and 44th?” That was all it took to be bombarded with directions on how to get to Hawthorne. The bus driver even offered to go off route to take me to the bus I needed to be at. After a few stops, I was told by several cheerful people about how to get to my desired destination. One lady said she would walk me to the correct stop, because she could tell I was a little puzzled by all of the directions. I respectfully declined and decided I needed to do this on my own otherwise I’ll never learn. Two hours later, and I was within sight of The Whole Bowl, and I could see Joel sitting outside the restaurant waiting for me. Little did I know, The Whole Bowl was cash only. I had a $1 in my pocket. What a waste of time.

Or was it? While spending close to three hours trying to get from point A to point B, I realized that I cannot simply navigate through an unfamiliar city on a mere smart phone. I needed to seek help, seek guidance, and explore the resources that were around me. I’ve been spending some time in the book of Matthew, and was recently reminded of verse 7:7 where it says, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” This verse came to life today. I asked for help, and it was given to me in abundance. I sought guidance, and it was revealed to me. I knocked, and the door was opened.

Messages like this open my eyes to what God is doing in my life while I’m in Portland. Too many times I’m focused on doing work for God’s kingdom while I’m here, but I don’t realize that God is doing work in me. I was narrow-minded today in that I wanted to get to The Whole Bowl, and decided to try and get there on my own without seeking any help with my journey. This reflects my spiritual life a lot. If I’m seeking wisdom, I’ll try to do works in attempt become wiser. I’ll read my Bible, talk with people, and try to do things on my own so I can have some experience. Hardly ever do I ask, seek, and/or knock like how God says to do.

It’s crazy how God completely takes over your day and teaches you lessons like this. I thank God for allowing my eyes to see and my ears to hear. I also thank Him for the community that he has allowed me to be in for the next few weeks — a loving, caring community that lives for togetherness and will go to great lengths to help someone out. Finally, I thank God for the reality check that I cannot do things on my own, and recognizing that I need to have more of a mindset of living with togetherness while desiring a community that cares for each other.

Mark Campbell, a student at Midwestern State University, is serving in Portland, Oregon, with Go Now Missions.