SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINES | Dom Ferrell, Class of 2021
If it weren’t for the spiritual discipline of meditation, I’d have never become a teacher.
In the summer of 2019, I had a dream that I was standing in an elementary school cafeteria in front of a mass of students. I introduced myself and stated my interest in working with children in an urban educational setting. I awoke from this dream in a heightened state of confusion. I was pursuing a degree in Entertainment and Media Studies with a concentration in filmmaking. I had never considered working in education before the night of June 18, 2019, and honestly wasn’t considering it afterwards either. I wrote the dream down in my journal and walked to my favorite spot on campus, the Turtle Pond, to ask God what the dream meant.
Each day that summer I spent time at the Turtle Pond reading, praying, and meditating on the things of God and whatever He wanted to talk about. Every day I looked forward to the hours I got to spend with Him and learning about each topic He brought to my mind. I grew very disciplined in this practice and eventually I became devoted to my Turtle Time with Jesus. As the weeks went by, I grew in my knowledge of the character, voice, humor, and will of the Lord. He taught me how to wait on Him and meditate on good things. Meditation on the Word brought me freedom, peace, and joy. I spent a lot of time in solitude that summer and underwent noticeable changes in my spiritual and occupational pursuits. One day at the pond, this thought passed through my mind: “I don’t care if I ever make another film, as long as I’m in the will of God.” Again, a heightened state of confusion. What was God up to?
In January of 2020, I was completing an annual fast, seeking direction about my post-graduate life. In the midst of worship in my dorm, my phone sounded with a new email. An organization named Memphis Teacher Residency dropped a message in my Handshake account. As I read through the contents of the email, the dream I had eight months prior sprinted through my mind. I knew instantly what the Lord had been preparing me to do.
It has been more than three years since that email and dream, and the practice of mediation has continually blessed me personally and professionally. During my time at the pond while practicing meditation, Jesus turned my heart toward Him and gave me eternal focus and joy. As we practice meditation, we come to know the Lord is near, He is able, and He is good. We gain a deeper understanding of the Gospel and the life of Jesus and are better able to exemplify the life of Christ before others.
Dom Ferrell, Class of 2021
