“Not all those who wander are lost.”
J.R.R Tolkien
We often think of wandering as inherently wrong or bad as if a ‘wanderer’ does not know where they are going but they also are void of purpose. Yet Mr. Tolkien and myself disagree with this notion- on the contrary we believe that they are not lost, but looking, seeking. If you view wandering from the lens of a great search and rescue party, seeking to find, and wandering until found- it flips the script entirely. Jesus speaks plainly throughout the gospels about ‘seeking and finding’ and knocking closed doors to find the open ones. If Jesus encourages ‘seeking’ than sometimes and I argue- often we need to be willing to get lost. At OneLife, many students who enter our program are looking for something- often times it’s clarity, wisdom, discernment- to know their specific calling, to know God and who He created them to be. All of these reasons are valid and permissible convictions for enrolling in OneLife, yet the blaring commonality that not just students have (but all of humanity) is that we are all looking for someone or something.
Searching.
Seeking.
Wandering.
At OneLife, we have a professional staff of leaders that will guide, mentor, disciple, and help students discern who God is leading them to be. That’s why we believe it’s okay to wander and even get lost. It’s not only okay to wander, we might even encourage it. We encourage students to wander because we see what wandering with God results in. When you know with whom you are wandering and with whom- it makes all the difference. The difference at OneLife is that many students don’t know their future endeavors- college, university, work, calling, family, etc. but they seek and wander in a God-fearing, God-honoring community that is following Jesus in their wandering. So we will continue to wander, learning to be lost in a world that we were never meant to make home, and seek first the kingdom that never dies.
Benjamin Case – Resident Leader
