The following comes from a note that Eric wrote to remember
all the things that God has done for him.
"God was never more apparent in my life than when I
lived in Spain. Due to various
reasons, it was a very difficult and somewhat lonely year, but it was due to
the differing circumstances that God was able to reveal himself to me. The sheer slow-pace of it all allowed
me to contemplate the deeper questions regarding the Divine and the meaning of
life. He provided me with numerous
books as well as His Word and I could feel his presence shine as I immersed
myself in them. My Christianity
turned from a childhood religion to an integral part of my life.
For most of my life I wanted to go to the U.S Naval Academy,
and I worked diligently for years to qualify myself to go. Last year my chances of attending were
looking good, almost a sure-thing, as I was merely a few points short of maxing
out both the SAT and the physical fitness test. But as the spring came by, a number of events occurred that
made my future less than certain.
Although I initially rebelled at the idea, I really feel like I, for
reasons too long to spell out here, didn’t get into the Academy for a reason(as
well as giving me some much-needed humility), and that Virginia really is the
place for me to be right now.
Last spring, I was constantly ranting about how
materialistic most Americans were.
About how all they cared about was having a nice car, boat, or iphone,
and how Americans didn’t have enough discipline or self-control to let go of
the things of the world. At the
same time, I acquired an obsession with success. I worshiped it for its own
sake. I would devour books on it, spending most of my waking hours working to
be a success story. If I was a
hypocrite, I didn’t realize it.
It was when I attended Ascend Summer camp up in Missouri with Lakeside
Bible church that I began to understand the cognitive dissonance involved. The
teachings there and the conversations with Lakeside’s youth pastor Adam Tyson
made a big impact on me. It was
the “do everything, even the most trivial things, for the glory of God,” that tripped my trigger. I came to realize that my obsession
with success for its own sake arose from the same base, sinful source that
obsession with physical things came from.
For the longest time, I convinced myself that being materialistic only
involved physical, tangible things, but it was that week that everything began
to fall in piece. Through that
spirit-filled placed, God revealed that He should be the motivation behind all
actions and thoughts.
My relationship with my twin brother is unreal, even
remarkable compared to that of other twins. Definitely God-inspired.
God gave me the urge to ask my mother to homeschool us. She
prayed about it and came to understand that that’s what God wanted us to
do. This was back in 2002, when there
was significant pressure not to do so. While it’s impossible to say for sure, I’m reasonably
confident that homeschooling was one of the best things to me for myself in
general and faith in particular.
While God has blessed me with a healthy body, I have been
injured on occasion (who hasn’t).
Since I attach a significant portion of my worth to my health and
well-being, injuries were always tough to deal with. But it was in those moments when I learned humility, and
with humility comes a state of mind that God can work wonders with. Material hardship sowed the seeds for
spiritual growth. I would always come out stronger from injuries.
I am thankful for the great relationships I have with my
family and friends, especially for the support and source of inspiration they
have given me."
What's your story? - Forsake All
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