Every Thursday I feature a “throwback” post from my blog archive. The goal is to look back and discover new lessons or opportunities to grow. This week, we’ll look at “The Indecisiveness of Children” You can view the original post here. For today, here’s a quick recap and a few more thoughts about where we find our purpose.
It’s been almost eight years since I wrote this original post and I can still remember the day my oldest daughter told me she wanted to be a tree doctor. It was one of those days when I was able to take a pause and truly appreciate what it meant to be a child full of dreams and devoid of fear. She never asked me how much money does a tree doctor make? What are the benefits associated with such a position? Can I work from home or do I need to keep office hours? Would such an office be in a tree? None of this mattered. All that mattered to her at that moment was that she loved trees and wanted to help make sure they were healthy and growing.
As she has continued to grow up, her interests have changed and along with that, her answer to the question of her future career has shifted considerably. She’s gone from tree doctor, to people doctor, to gymnastics coach, to nutritionist, and has since landed at “physical therapist and nutritionist who possibly coaches gymnastics on the side.” And while she has begun to ask questions regarding finances, she is still ultimately learning about and pursuing the things she loves over the things that offer the highest pay or status. Watching her mature and think about her future has reminded me that our purpose and our calling are built over a lifetime of discovery. They are found where the joy in our life intersects with the things we are good at. They are found in our experiences, both the positive and the negative. And they are found when we remember these experiences and allow God to speak through them.
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A while back, my daughter got a pretty significant injury while doing gymnastics. That injury required her to attend physical therapy for a few months. During these appointments, she noticed two things. First, she noticed that this was an environment where she was going to be well cared for. She got paired with a therapist who was a gymnast and understood exactly what my daughter was going through. She provided excellent care and was encouraging and supportive throughout. Second, my daughter noticed that all of the therapists were wearing “workout clothes.” Honestly, I think that’s where the interest in this career really took off.
By noticing these things, my daughter began to see a potential picture for her own future. She saw a place where her interest matched her skills and began to wonder, “What if?” I don’t know if she’ll become a “gymnastics coach/physical therapist/sports nutritionist” or not. I mean, that’s a lot for a business card, and she’s only thirteen. We’ve got years to keep helping her figure it out. But I do know that right now, she probably has the best “purpose filter” I’ve seen in action in a long time. She is thinking about her future through the lens of “Who do I want to become?” and only then “What does the person I want to become actually do?”
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As we think about our own purpose today I want to encourage you to dream a little differently. Don’t worry so much about what you are supposed to do and concern yourself more with who God has called you to be. In Matthew 6:33 Jesus reminds his followers to “seek first (God’s) kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” The “these things” that Jesus refers to here are the things we often concern ourselves with when considering our future. He’s referring to the questions we ask like, “What will we eat, drink, wear, etc.?” He says, that if we truly focus on becoming who God has called us to become, all of that other stuff, all of the details, all of the logistics, all of those questions, will be sorted out for us.
So today, ask yourself, “Who is God calling me to become?” Answer that question first, and the rest will fall into place.
BrandonHair.me 
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