Life Update (I have made my decision)

by David Choi

Friends,

I am pleased to officially announce that I will be continuing my studies this fall at Yale University, where I will be working towards an M.A. in theology.

There are so many people to whom I am indebted. Thank you…

To my parents, Steve and Joyce Choi. When I decided to follow God’s call on my life to pursue a career in academia as a theologian, you were worried for so many reasons. I know by my going further in this direction, I will continue to be immersed in a world you cannot always understand. Yet I am grateful for your intentionality in asking me questions and conversing with me to understand the world in which I live. And I am grateful for your marriage and for your lives. It was in these last few years that you truly had to live by way of trust. I can’t imagine how difficult it must have been for you to say specifically, “We trust you, Lord, with our son.”

To my professors at Wheaton College, IL. There’s not a day that goes by where I am not thankful to have developed spiritually and intellectually under the guidance of your tutelage. Three of the most important things you have taught me is to love Jesus, know Jesus, and serve Jesus – these three things being inextricably intertwined – in my life and in my scholarship. If I can be half the theologian you are, then it would have been worth it all.

To my mentors. Thank you for exemplifying what it means to follow Jesus in the way of the cross. You have prayed for me and have counseled me for so long. While there are so many things I regret, I know that you continue to love me because you yourselves love Christ above all. I have learned by the manner in which you live, by the example you have set – doing my best to keep in mind all that you have taught. You carry deep convictions for the gospel of Jesus Christ and love for people. This grounds me.

To my friends. Your encouragement, support, and prayers in these anxiety-filled times have not been taken for granted. It is only by the strong community of friends that I have gotten this far. Though I’m not always the easiest person to be around, I am grateful that you continue to challenge me in my faith and in my love for others. I am grateful that my struggles can be your struggles and that my victories can be your victories. Thank you for the countless rides to and from the airport; thank you for the meals and coffee; thank you for the congratulatory remarks as we pass each other by on campus; thank you for your kindness.

If you told me four years ago that this is where I’d be, I would have laughed at you. But I tell you, it’s by the grace of God. I am not my own: I am who I am because so many loved me. Guide me, Lord, into your good future.