At a crossroad in life, I reflected on my journey and felt proud of earning a second doctoral degree in the U.S. after nearly a decade as a medical practitioner in India. Despite the challenges—being a single mother, starting over in a foreign country, and raising my son alone—I managed to graduate with a 4.0 GPA and became the top researcher among all postdoctoral fellows at my university. I wished my late mother could see my achievements, as she had always been my pillar of support, allowing me to study most of the time while she did all the mundane household chores. One thing my mom never missed was going to church on Sundays, regardless of whether Dad gave her a ride or not. Even on cold mornings, she would walk alone in the early hours to make it to the First Service. At night, after a long day, I’d often find her dozing with her Bible, while we were getting ready for bed. Grandma, however, took it a step further—attending church daily and dragging us grandkids along at 5 a.m. during summer breaks, even as she grew frail in her nineties. I felt a tinge of sadness that, while these women humbly served their families, they did not step out into the world to accomplish grand feats like I had.

One Sunday, as I drove to church pondering my future career path, I asked God to reveal the next phase of my life – asking him about the purpose of my existence. During worship, the words “Here I am to worship” echoed in my heart, and I distinctly heard God say, “June,You are here only to worship me.” The simplicity of the message puzzled me. Later, as I left church, I heard Him again, “That is exactly what your Grandma and Ma did.” In that moment, I understood that their purpose was to worship God through humble service, and that was my purpose too: to seek God first and glorify Him with my life, whatever career I chose.

Scripture Verses

“You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve” is Matthew 4:8–11

 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Matthew 6:33