This week, my editor challenged us to write about something personal. Well, I do that a lot. I don't exactly hide some of my personal struggles. So this week, I'm taking a different turn. While I tend to be kind of vague, I'm going to write about something specific, so bare with me. I promise, there is relevance to the story I'm about to tell. This is something that actually happened within the last few days.

In order to finish my Worship Leadership degree, I need to complete a six month long internship at a church or some kind of ministry location. Sounds great right? Hands-on experience in your field with valuable mentor-ship. Here's the catch: Your location has to be two hours away by car from the school and your hometown, and you have to find it yourself. Not only that, but you have to find it within a certain time allotment, or you can't go. Finding the spot within that time-frame is what helps prove that you are responsible enough to complete the internship. The distance is to help you grow as a minister and to help give you the air of professionalism.

Here's where the frustration comes in. I was doing great. I found a church that I really wanted to go to. It's several states away, so the distance was definitely far enough. This church seemed perfect. It had everything I was looking for and more. I had spoken with the senior pastor and the person who would be mentoring me. We all seemed on board. The last step was to fill out the contract, saying what I would be doing while I was there. Until I got a call from the pastor saying that the internship was a no-go.

The church elders had made the decision that hiring a new youth pastor and bringing in an intern at the same time would be too much for their church. It's understandable. After all it's a relatively small church. They want to make sure that both the new youth pastor and I receive the right amount of training and guidance that we each need. Not to mention that the youth pastor would more than likely be there longer than me. They made the decision that was best for the church.

I understand all that, and yet it's still incredibly frustrating. I had fallen in love with a church that I had never even visited, everything looked like I was going to be there, and the pastor and my intended mentor were both excited to have me come. Yet, it wasn't meant to be. Now I'm back to step one with a week to go until my deadline. But I'm not going to let that stop me.

My adviser told me at the beginning of this whole process that in extenuating circumstances, like this one, the department might let me extend my deadline a little. At this point, I'm hoping they give me that extra time, because I'm going to need it. I'm trusting that God has a better location picked out for me, I just have to find it. I'm praying that He helps me find it fast and that the new youth pastor at that other church settles in and does well with his new position. I have faith that everything with this situation will work out. I've even started trying to contact more churches.

My point behind this story is not to just talk about my frustrations. Believe me, I have plenty more. My point is to not let a closed door stop you. Keep going, keep fighting. When God closes one door, He opens another. Classic Christian line, I know, but it's true. For me, in this situation, it just means that God's got a better church lined for me. For you, it might mean a better job opportunity, or a better relationship. Yes, right now, it might hurt. It might seem like there's no point in even fighting to achieve your dreams. But I can tell you that there is.

This is only a small set back. Okay, maybe it's a big set back.. But don't let it stop you. Put your trust in God and keep going, because His plans are always better that ours.