Remember when you were a kid and you were asked, “What do
you want to be when you grow up?” Some
kids answered doctor, lawyer, rock star, police man. I answered actor…until I was told I had ugly
elbows (to this day I think they are the worst thing on my body). Then I wanted to be a Navy Seal…until I was
told I couldn't because I was girl. I
still think they have the coolest job ever.
Then I decide on President of the United States…until I discovered what
that actually meant – stress, stress and more stress and looking like a haggard
mess after just four years much less eight (I still want to be beautiful when I
am old thank you very much…and domestic politics is not nearly as interesting
as foreign). Last week my answer would be to be a diplomat, hopefully an
ambassador, but my answer has changed.
I have three jobs now and by this Saturday will have worked
fifteen days in a row. Sunday after work
I watched the movie Trainspotting (a recommendation
from two of my brothers that I hated!!!)
So, to get my mind back I searched Netflix for something more cheerful
and stumbled upon the movie This is Our
Time. It is a tale about five
college graduates entering the real world.
Four of the five find themselves in the places they believe they should
be in their careers right out of the gate while the fifth one (the one I relate
to and will be referred to as Connector in this blog) has been denied graduate
school and is stuck serving sandwiches at his dad’s shop.
Naturally, Connector is frustrated feeling like he wasted
his time and money on a degree that is useless to him. He feels left behind as he watches his
friends move forward in life and in love and he remains on the sidelines. In his bearing of his heart to his mentor he
discovers that perhaps, God places us on the sidelines for such a time as
this. What a way to hit home for
me. But my lessons in this movie did not
end there. Oh, no.
Later, one of the characters dies and in the going through
of remaining articles, the group discovers what she thought of them. His description was connector. He was the writer, the one who could see
people for what they are, not what they present to the world. He was the glue that held the group together
and connected people to who they truly are.
Robert had just finished telling me that I do good in the
lives of so many, even though I do not see it.
Hearing this, it was as if God was telling me that my unique skills and
talents will accomplish tasks, but an occupation is not what He called me
to. You’ve hear that term before, “calling.”
“God called me to Africa,” “God called me to be a singer.” Well, my whole life I have been waiting for
this calling. I have watched as my
siblings new from a young age their “calling” – lawyer, stay at home mom,
singer. I never had that feeling. My feeling was to be a history maker…there is
no college degree that can prepare you for that (Abraham Lincoln was self-educated…never
got a formal education). But somehow, I missed this lesson.
What I learned was that my calling is not to an occupation. That question: What do you want to be when you grow up? we interpret that wrong. It is not about occupation and employment, it is about character. I want to be good. I want to be generous. I want to be humble. I want to kind. I want to be compassionate. If all of this is in place, God will use the unique skills, talents and abilities he has granted me in my employment whether that is as a banquet server, a nanny, or an ambassador or officer.
No comments:
Post a Comment