After Patryk shared with me his lofty goals for college and his career, I was reminded of the simple truth of Psalm 63: that God’s “steadfast love is better than life,” so pursuing it is our ultimate goal for existence.
Patryk took that to heart, repenting of ways he had pursued other things more than knowing the Lord, and he is a changed man. His joy and peace have increased greatly since we first met. His journal has gone from lists upon lists of goal-oriented action points to tender prayers to the God who loves him. And, he has gone from fulfilling the status quo of never discussing religion to boldly sharing his faith with his questioning friends, family, and, occasionally, even strangers.
Perhaps my favorite moment from this fall is when Patryk and another UIC student, Adam, both joined me to survey new students outside UIC’s Commons dorm. We spent an hour approaching dozens of random students walking by the doorway, asking them to take a two-minute survey about getting involved with our student group. Within minutes, Patryk transformed from timidly allowing me to lead, to far surpassing my boldness in the number of students he approached.
Adam and Patryk are both avid fishermen, just like the apostles Peter and Andrew were before Jesus called them. That day, Patryk and Adam joined in the apostles’ new vocations as well: fishing for men. Praise God for the new vocation he has also placed on these two fishermen’s lives.