When my kids were young, I found myself telling them that they could do or be anything they wanted if they worked hard enough to achieve their goal.  This is the American Dream, isn’t it?  As I have grown older (and I hope a little wiser with experience), I realize that what I told them was not absolutely true.  We all have certain talents and temperaments that give us the ability to achieve more easily in some areas and not in others.  I could no more be a concert pianist than fly to the moon.  I certainly appreciate beautiful music but I don’t have the aptitude to learn how to read musical notes.  For some folks music just naturally flows. Not me.  I studied both French and Spanish in school but barely can read texts from either language now. However, I have a friend who knows 4 languages fluently and picked up Italian because he was going to Italy for a wedding!  I envy greatly his ability to communicate in this way but regardless of how much effort I put into improving my fluency in French or Spanish, it could never match his level of expertise.  But put me in a medical clinic or a hospital and I am in my element.  I feel comfortable in that environment.  The thought of blood and needles doesn’t make me squeamish.  It’s like I was made for medicine.  It’s where I fit.

Each one of us is a unique, one-of-a-kind creation meant to fill a role to which we are specifically qualified.  We are as King David stated in Psalm 139, “fearfully and wonderfully made.”  God knows all the days set out for us before we were even born.  Through the prophet Jeremiah He says, ” I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you, not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”  We are all meant to glorify God in everything we do, even the most menial of tasks.  Brother Lawrence in his book, “Practicing the Presence of God” described how he honored God through cooking in the kitchen of his monastery.  This was his task, however insignificant it seemed.  He did it to the best of his ability for God’s glory through the end of his life. He was where God wanted him to be, doing what he was made to do.

Sometimes it can take what seems like an eternity to discover where we were meant to be and what we are to do with our lives. The talents that are hard-wired into us may seem elusive or non-existent.  My daughter, Anna has explored varied career paths over the years to find each time that she didn’t fit.  It was agonizing for her to start again along another avenue.  Photography has been her love through it all but it seemed to be more of a hobby than a career opportunity.  It wasn’t until she was encouraged by a good friend to look into studying visual design that everything began to fall into place.  It took a great deal of effort on her part but she was accepted into Herron School of Art in Indianapolis and is now a second semester Junior in their Visual Design program.  She has been able to join her artistic talent in photography with her computer expertise to create phenomenal design projects.  It is truly amazing how her skills have developed over the 2 1/2 years she has studied at Herron.  She has found herself in her art.  She was created for this.

Recently Anna has helped me redesign the cover for “Letters Out of Africa” in preparation to publish it as a paperback.  She has led me through the process of page layout and the selection of fonts.  I have given her feedback about what elements I feel need to be included to authentically represent the book content.  I think we make a good team. The result is amazing.  We’re not quite done but the finished product should be ready for bookshelves soon!

So when I have the opportunity to advise young people how they should go about deciding on a career path, I have rearranged what I say to them.  You can’t do just anything you desire but you are made to do something unique and beautiful.  God created each one of us with special talents that no one else has.  You must look deep within to discover where your dreams are leading you.  What skills just come naturally?  Do you have an artist’s way of seeing the world or the ear to hear the music of creation all around you?  Do you have the compassionate heart of a healer or the courage of a protector?  Could your gift of gab be turned into the skills needed for marketing a product or service?  One must look within to answer these questions but should also prayerfully use the observations and wisdom of others for guidance.

I always knew that Anna saw her world differently than the other kids.  Perhaps she was always visualizing it through the lens of a camera seeing form and shadows in a way others are not able.  Discovering this for herself took some time and heartache but now she’s on a path to becoming all she was created to be, fearfully and wonderfully made by God.