Excel on God's Terms
There will always be someone who is more exceptional than me. Yesterday I came across a website of a local photographer and graphic designer. My heart sank. Her site was amazing, displaying beautiful pictures of families, babies and graduates accompanied with a slick publication describing the perfect photo shoot. I was impressed (and jealous). I realized that I will never be that good at family photography. The competition is too steep and it will take a lot of work to even be a viable option in this town.
Other days I bemoan the loss of my childhood dream of becoming an author. I am a decent writer. I can produce eloquent speeches or professional handouts in a short span of time. But to envision a novel, with a believable plot that could engage a diverse audience, is a very daunting task. Truthfully, I don't have the drive to attend writer's conferences and create an online following like Ann Voskamp. I'm kind of lazy and just want to be famous on a first draft. (Or I hope that someone will appreciate my research/academic/semi-creative style of writing and give me a well paying job with benefits!)
I find it startling how I can be so easily discouraged when faced with inadequacies in my hobby ability. Because that is what photography and writing is to me: a hobby, an activity done regularly in one's leisure time for pleasure*. It isn't a passion, yet.
Children, learn to excel in your area of passion. Our society often promotes the lie that you can do anything, be anything as long as you believe in yourself. After all, you won't fail because our province's education system will pass you along for the first 10 years of school. But what is the result of this delusion? Well here's an example: a student who attempts Chemistry 30 and still believes her 52% will get her into Medical School!
Now there is nothing wrong with having a certain amount of self confidence about one's skill. However, to somehow make yourself become someone you were never designed to be is just plain stupid.
God has designed you with an area of passion within a particular cultural context, during a certain time in history, with unique hindrances that seem to get in the way of your dreams. Embrace God's design, the obviously beautiful and the seemingly ugly. If you believe in God and seek Him and His desires, your passions with unravel in such a way to glorify God and bring others to Him. You may never become famous. That is a hard truth to swallow in this selfie generation. But if you eliminate the distractions and focus on God-given passions on God's terms, you will be content during this ever so brief time on earth.
*Source: "Define Hobby", Google Search
Other days I bemoan the loss of my childhood dream of becoming an author. I am a decent writer. I can produce eloquent speeches or professional handouts in a short span of time. But to envision a novel, with a believable plot that could engage a diverse audience, is a very daunting task. Truthfully, I don't have the drive to attend writer's conferences and create an online following like Ann Voskamp. I'm kind of lazy and just want to be famous on a first draft. (Or I hope that someone will appreciate my research/academic/semi-creative style of writing and give me a well paying job with benefits!)
I find it startling how I can be so easily discouraged when faced with inadequacies in my hobby ability. Because that is what photography and writing is to me: a hobby, an activity done regularly in one's leisure time for pleasure*. It isn't a passion, yet.
Children, learn to excel in your area of passion. Our society often promotes the lie that you can do anything, be anything as long as you believe in yourself. After all, you won't fail because our province's education system will pass you along for the first 10 years of school. But what is the result of this delusion? Well here's an example: a student who attempts Chemistry 30 and still believes her 52% will get her into Medical School!
Now there is nothing wrong with having a certain amount of self confidence about one's skill. However, to somehow make yourself become someone you were never designed to be is just plain stupid.
God has designed you with an area of passion within a particular cultural context, during a certain time in history, with unique hindrances that seem to get in the way of your dreams. Embrace God's design, the obviously beautiful and the seemingly ugly. If you believe in God and seek Him and His desires, your passions with unravel in such a way to glorify God and bring others to Him. You may never become famous. That is a hard truth to swallow in this selfie generation. But if you eliminate the distractions and focus on God-given passions on God's terms, you will be content during this ever so brief time on earth.
*Source: "Define Hobby", Google Search