Wednesday, November 14, 2007

What do you want to be when you grow up?

One of the chores I was responsible for while growing up was mowing the yard. Back in the old days--the 1970's, or however you want to look at it--we didn't have a riding lawn mower. We used an old push model, not the self-propelled version either. Our yard wasn't huge but it was pretty good size for a nine-year-old girl to mow. It took most of a perfectly good Saturday afternoon to finish. But I was never bored. I entertained myself with stories. I remember one was about a community, much like the Spartans who killed the weak and rewarded the strong. This story kept me entertained an entire summer while I mowed myself around that yard. Each week, the story got longer and more complex. I drew character sketches and plotlines in my head, though I didn't know that's what I was doing at the time. Alas, the story was never written down and consequently lost forever.

I dreamed of becoming a writer as far back as I can remember. I knew few people made a living writing books so like a dummy, I put my dreams on a back burner and pursued something that would pay the bills.
You know what I've since learned? God is a God of purpose. Whatever it is we've wanted to do since we were small...whatever that dream was back then, is what God purposed us to do. That's why so many people hate their jobs. They are doing something outside of God's will for their lives. They aren't doing what they were designed to do.
What about you? Are you doing the one thing you've always loved? Are you fulfilling the passion God put on your life? God's purpose for your life hasn't changed. He knew you since the foundation of the world. He knew you before you were in your mother's womb and he had a purpose for putting you in this place and time.
Are you fulfilling that purpose? Are you fulfilled?
If you are like me and constantly struggle with "What am I going to be when I grow up?" you might not be listening to God.
Think back to what you loved to do as a child. What were your passions? What made you want to stay up late and finish what you'd started that morning? God put that desire inside you for a reason. To fulfill your purpose and enjoy yourself while doing it.
Teresa

2 comments:

  1. how blessed we both are to be doing what we love to do!

    michelle

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  2. It seems we are kindred spirits. I too make a living at what I love and recently wrote a post about my dreams of being a writer when I was a child. If you get a chance please check out that post. (This is not a shameless plubg for my blog. I really think we do have a lot in common.)

    Peace and Continued Prosperity to you!

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