Fellow Reflection - Zac Toimil ‘26
Books are a magnificent creation from our Lord. Stories are a powerful technique for showcasing the grime and the power that is present in the world. A key element of a compelling story is a plot twist.
This year has been riddled with plot twists that I did not anticipate at all. I did not expect to end this year where I am at. However, I would say that this has been a great year for me and for my own development. My last year of my undergraduate career has been a tumultuous journey full of intellectual growth and a ton of plot twists. I started my fourth year with a plan of what this last stretch would look like and where I would be at by the time I walked down the Lawn. I had a different idea for my friendships, for where I would be in my education or my career. Going to graduate school was not my Plan A, but by the end of this year, I could not be more excited to be pursuing my master’s degree starting this fall.
God’s plan for you is lovingly crafted. He loves you and always wants what is best for you, no matter how much kicking and screaming you do along the way. After all, He is your Father, and fathers tend to know how to handle doing what’s best for their kids despite their fiercest protests.
Through this year in Horizons Fellows, as my future was being shaken before me, feeling helpless about my circumstances at times, I was met with love and support from a loving group of people who helped me discern my next steps and that shared my passion for service. We all walked through the discernment of our futures together.
There is a reason why I chose to major in public policy, and it is my love of serving others. I want to commit my life to enacting systemic change, to make my communities better by every metric. My fellow Horizons Fellows have this same zeal, to be loving servants of Christ wherever they may end up, and to remain faithful to Him as He has been faithful to us.
This past year, I have gotten to discuss contentious topics relevant to righting wrongs in a broken world plagued by sin and fleshly desires running rampant, such as discussions surrounding racism, disability, and treatment of LGBQT people within the church. My Horizons Fellows and I all have different means by which we have been called by God to help make it here on Earth as it is in Heaven, but it is the harmony by which we share the heart that we continue to pursue that mission.
It is because of this that I write this next statement: I will trust where God leads me, because His love for me is more than I can fathom. Despite the volatility in where He leads me with public service, the stability of my anchor, my rock, being Christ my Lord will keep me steadfast. God loves me, and He wants me to share that love with my neighbor through some means of public policy, even if I don’t understand it yet. I will follow His words in Joshua 1:9, which says: “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
In every vocation, you bring God with you. God is in all we do. God created all things. God has ingrained in me a passion for public policy as the means of service He has called me to commit my life to. Whether you are called to policy, nonprofit work, software engineering, ministry, investment banking, or anything in between, the Lord our God is with you wherever you go, and you serve Him by submitting yourself as a vessel.
Let the plot twists unfold. God’s story for you is a compelling one, and it is because of how much He loves you. Such intense love comes with intense events. Like I said in the beginning, a key element of a compelling story is plot twists. A key element to a compelling story, also, is a happy ending.