Back to the Drawing Board

Welcome back for another edition of “Take It In.” I hope your week is going exceptionally well. I am glad to report some positive news. I am officially back to work and doing work I enjoy. I’ve witnessed some real miracles in my personal life recently and want to testify to the good works God performs on a regular basis. That being said, I reflected on this difficult time in my life and what it has taught me.

Through all of this, I’ve had to go back to the drawing board — remapping the blueprint for my life. I’ve re-thought where I need to go and how to best get there. I find myself returning to where I started years ago as a quiet, yet ambitious lad in high school. I’ve returned to my love for the sciences and caring for human health. While I shall always love writing and the creative process, it’s not what I am meant to do as a lifelong vocation. It’s part of what I am supposed to do and is very useful, but it is not my core calling. This was a tough, flooring lesson, but one I had to learn. These past few months have been filled with confusion and restless nights. However, they brought me back to who I was created to be.

Things often draw us away from where we’re supposed to be. Sometimes outside forces discourage us, sometimes we talk ourselves out of it. We think we’re not smart enough, not talented enough, not good enough. Nothing could be more destructive to human potential than such thoughts. Perhaps you’ve found yourself stuck in a job or life circumstance that is sucking the life out of you. Have you went back to the drawing board? Have you revisited former passions? Have you envisioned your future? I encourage you to do so today.

I had to ask myself some tough questions. What is the best avenue to use my abilities and gifts to their maximum capacity? What is going to give me that sense of accomplishment and the knowing I did a “job well done” at the end of the road? I believe the most miserable person is one who is not using his or her talents to their fullest potential. Your potential is not meant to be stored away, but poured out as an offering of love to God and mankind. Your transformation comes from the partnership you make with God to join him in his transformative work in our fallen world.

Ask yourself the tough questions. Ask God the tough questions. Seek wise counsel and lean on trusted peers for support. Getting lost does not mean all hope is lost. Those God-given inner longings and restless thoughts are your compass back to the path laid before you. Plan. Strategize. Re-think. Re-imagine. Leap back in love with your core talents and passion. Take each step in stride. Have a fantastic,fun weekend and see you all next week. Please share your journey with me!