At tea club this past week, I happened to sit beside a lady who speaks a little English. When she realized I didn’t speak Ukrainian, she did her best to translate for me so I could participate in the conversation. We were divided into groups of two and given a simple assignment: tell the other person three things about ourselves and explain why we had come to the meeting. The women who attend range in age, and the leader is the same lady I have been working with in the kitchen at the cafe. As my partner began sharing about herself, she explained that one of the reasons she comes to Tea Club is to find help in figuring out how to fit into life in Poland and what her purpose is for being here.
When she said that, something inside me resonated with her words. While I did not come to Poland seeking safety from a war, I realized that, in some ways, we share a similar journey. I, too, have been trying to discover my purpose here. For so much of my life, my goals were clearly defined. First, there was my education, and then my career. I always had something to work toward, a goal to accomplish, and a path to follow. I worked hard to achieve those goals, and they gave my live a sense of direction.
But now, I am no longer practicing medicine, and I find myself in a different season of life. For the first time in a long time, I don’t have a clearly defined goal in front of me. I know God has placed me here in Poland, and I am enjoying the opportunity to work at the cafe. I am grateful for the people I am meeting and the opportunities He is giving me. Still, I sometimes find myself asking, Is there something more I should be doing? Is there a particular purpose God has for me here that I have not yet discovered?
Honestly, I don’t know. What I do know is that I continue to pray and trust that God will show me what He wants me to do. Perhaps I have been so accustomed to having a goal to work toward that I am struggling a little with simply allowing God to lead me one step at at time. Maybe I need to remember that not every season of life comes with a clearly marked path. Sometimes, we have to walk by faith and trust that God will reveal what we need to know when we need to know it. In the meantime, it is comforting to know that I am not the only woman trying to figure out her place in Poznan. We may have come from different circumstances and have different stories to tell, but we share a desire to find where we belong and how we can make a difference in the place God has brought us.
And, of course, there is one thing we already know for certain: they all enjoyed the cake! Perhaps finding my purpose here will involve something I have yet to imagine. Until then, I well keep praying, keep serving , keep building relationships and trust God to direct my steps. I may not know exactly what He has planned for me, but I know that He does! And, I hope they don’t mind being my new taste testers!
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