Zach Kunkel 10/2/16
Man, oh man, what a month it has been. I'm in awe already of all that has happened in this short amount of time. A MONTH. A month ago I was wondering, hopeful, expecting, weary, and nervous about the next 9 months. I'd be lying if I said all those feelings had been put to ease, but there are two things that I've already realized about these next 9 months: 1) God is going to be shaping me in extremely evident ways and 2) He has provided some great people to live alongside with for the next 9 months (Matty C, Richie Rich, Stevie, Kenz, Jess-ay, Carryl said Carl, Gebbie, Mariah, AshButCrutch and many more!).
One aspect of the program is that you enter into the workplace 3 out of the 5 business days. My internship is at Capstrat in Raleigh near Carter-Finley Stadium. Capstrat is an agency that focuses on areas such as PR, crisis management, and advertising. I was so excited coming into it and then when I got there the first day- man was I in for a learning curve. It is completely normal to feel overwhelmed on the first day but for me, it was something a little more than that. It was a complete shock (not to be too dramatic). The first week of the program was more of the same. It was constantly being overwhelmed and having a lot of stuff to do. If I could put the program for the first month in one word, it would be "whirlwind". You are going, going, going.
NOW, if you're reading this as a current fellow, past fellow, or someone who knows the program, you know what I mean. BUT, if you're reading this as a prospective fellow or someone who doesn't know the program, please KEEP READING, I promise it gets better!
To sum up the first few weeks, I was thrown into a whole new world. The most important decision I made in college each semester was to pick out when I would use my skip days for my classes (sorry mom). Now, that’s no longer an option. Being a fellow, and all that comes with it, are new to me but they aren’t bad things. It is simply CHANGE. What a word. Change, simply defined by Zachary's dictionary is: not the normal state anymore. I went into the program knowing that I wanted to grow (how broad of a statement, I know). But, what I've realized in this short, first month is that in order for Jesus to continue to mold us and sanctify us, we can't be all right with where we are currently. The fact of the matter is that Jesus loves me TOO much to let me be content with the state of my soul right now. In fact, it’s crazy but change and being thrown into an uncomfortable, new environment actually creates an environment for growth. Being uncomfortable and in the midst of this whirlwind, the Lord is teaching me to breathe and be still. He’s teaching me that change is another way of saying “the old has gone and the new has come. CRAZY, right? (hopefully you can hear the sarcasm through the keyboard)
So, I'm excited. I'm excited for the next 9 months because I've already seen that God is in the business of molding me. That God will be using these uncomfortable circumstances to bring me to a place of need. He is guiding me into a place where I can't rest on my own understanding, but where I must constantly rely on Him and His unrelenting grace. That he really has a plan to make me more and more like him.
As Smash Mouth put it so eloquently,
"Somebody once asked could I spare some change for gas
I need to get myself away from this place
I said yep, what a concept
I could use a little fuel myself
And we could all use a little change"
Change. Here it comes.