Seminary Update – Jessica Lau Dacus

Hi Church, my name is Jessica Lau Dacus. I am thankful to have called SCAC my home church for the past 20 years. I have lived in Washington for most of my life. My husband, Bryce, and I got married last summer. Our favorite things to do together, when I’m not studying for school, is to be in God’s creation, through hiking and traveling. I also enjoy writing, reading, and learning new insights.

This month, I tried a new activity. I created a timeline, starting from age 5 all the way until the present year. For every year, I wrote down a significant memory at that age. Then I closed my eyes, and meditated on every year from age 5 to now repeatedly. In this visualization process, I found myself in awe of the particular events that happened after I finished college.

I still remember, post-college, I prayed that God would reveal what I was called to do. There were oftentimes days I would doubt I would ever figure out where I was supposed to be. Now, it feels like God answered my prayers without me even noticing. It was never a clean break. It was a smooth transition, so seamless that I didn’t even notice I had “found” it.

Essentially everything now feels aligned, and interconnected and right. I am in seminary now, pursuing my M.Div degree, being supported by SCAC’s generous seminary scholarship. I just received a year-long internship to serve as a Christian counselor for next year. I am excited to learn about how to strengthen my pastoral counseling skills. I also started a second degree – I’m pursuing a Master’s of Arts in Counseling Psychology. God has made all things align. I’ve figured out that my passion lies in learning how to understand people’s stories and bring healing to them through God. It has been a series of elements and dimensions that connected everything together.

Previously, I had prayed so hard for God to tell me what my calling was. And in the right time, he truly made the dream unfold in more tangible terms. I quit my job and dedicated myself full-time to the two programs – both which are connected to my future desires of serving God’s people. I’ve learned that conversations of brokenness and vulnerability fuel me: these teach me perspective. I’ve learned to appreciate having Christian mentors who guide me and teach me how to be bold for Christ. I’ve learned to be in spaces where I love what I do and I love what is to come – even if it’s in uncharted waters. Sometimes you have to EXPERIENCE God’s plan by taking a leap of faith to truly see what God has in store for you.

It now feels like my future is not a distant dream that is intangible and abstract. Sometimes, we may feel stuck. We feel fear and we feel regret. But God REDEEMS our story when we trust in him. We don’t need to stay stuck in the illusions or lies of the enemy. Let’s allow God to shape our timeline. I’ve learned to keep moving forward in faith: I am so thankful to God for crafting my timeline.

Blessings,

Jessica

jhlaucircle