This morning I had to sit down to write my resignation letter to Focus on the Family. I didn’t imagine that would be as hard as it was, especially since I have seen the end coming for a few months now.
I remember when it all started… I was with my parents in Mitchell, SD… I think I was a freshman in college. I was jabbering to my dad about college and how I thought I was going to change my major to Communication Arts. I just loved to talk about it—about everything, actually— which was one of the reasons communications sounded so perfect. Good reasoning, huh?
My realist father asked gently but seriously, “What kind of job can you get with a major like that?”
Hmm. Good question. I was only 18 at the time—I hadn’t thought that far.
My mind raced as I tried to defend the major I thought would fit me so perfectly. Frankly, I had no idea. I thought media. Then Christian media. Then somewhere in the back of my mind clips of Adventures in Odyssey started to play. McGee and Me. Brio Magazine. “Focus on the Family!” I blurted frantically and proudly. “Yeah, dad. I could totally get a job at like Focus on the Family or something. “
The answer satisfied him and settled somewhere deep in my bank of dreams. I would make that happen someday, no matter what it took.
Here I am six years later looking back on memories of an amazing internship and over a year and a half of employment at Focus. It was a dream I held closely to me, and one I didn’t give up on. I’m so thankful for my experience at Focus and for all the amazing people I met along the way. Focus will always hold a special place in my heart and so will the bold advocacy for families around the world.
The most important thing I learned at Focus was that simply, family matters. It is the glue that holds societies, and essentially the world, together. I am grateful for the role I was able to play in Focus’ vision to help strengthen families.
I also know it doesn’t have to end here. I believe my time at Focus has prepared me for my own vision, one to bring hope and joy to young marriages. It has awoken something deep within me—a passion that has been developing for years.
I saw this dream come into fruition and now it is time to press into the next one. As cliché as it sounds, everything is possible if you are willing to fight for it. Picture yourself there, write it down, plan it out, ask people to help you, believe in yourself and don’t give up. People say to get real instead of dream. I think the world would be a pretty boring place if we all just “got real.” Innovation and creativity flow when you think beyond today, when you take a few seconds to sit back and truly believe in yourself.
I’m still not sure what is next for me, but the puzzle pieces are slowly starting to move together.
What dream are you pressing in to?
