I never thought of myself as a particularly imaginative kid, but I guess the plethora of TV shows and overly dramatic movies got to me at an early age. Constantly searching for “excitement” in my life, I dreamt of the day I would be rushed to the hospital in an ambulance, visited by close friends and family as I softly spoke to them from my ICU bed. A broken arm seemed cool; crutches, even better. It’s not that I was morbid or pessimistic, but sickness and divorce seemed to add character to a life story. I glared enviously at the girl in my class whose dad was a reporter for the local news. The envy grew stronger as he traveled to report for the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City.
If it isn’t apparent already, I was dissatisfied with a boring life. My parents were happily married, my sister was my best friend, and our family ate normal Korean meals in our small and normal condominium. I come from a characteristic, Northern California suburb where I attended average schools, participating in activities every other Korean-America kid also did. It wasn’t that I was unhappy with my life, but in the back of my mind, I was in constant search of that incredible tragedy or accomplishment that would ultimately define my life: a life worthy of being made into an entertaining screenplay.
After 17 years of normalcy, one 4 AM phone call from my sister would dramatically change my strange mindset. One tear-filled call would proceed to reveal her highly involved life of drugs and it’s damaging consequences. But her dark troubles would bring our family closer than ever before, my parents soon uncovering the truth in my dad’s past usage problems – faint memories of rehab, potential divorce and my dad’s period of unemployment all surfacing in my senior year of high school.
In the span of one week, God proved to me that my life was jam-packed with plenty of events that I would have previously characterized as “exciting,” yet I finally grasped the reality of the pain and struggles that inevitably tag along. As I continue my life as a student, I constantly meet new faces with stories waiting to be made into Academy Award winning tearjerkers. My elementary school envy long gone, my only response is unfathomable thanksgiving to Him.
Why do I do what I do? Because God has blessed me far beyond what I deserve: with salvation and an amazingly beautiful, normal life. The least I can do is offer my life completely to Him.
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