A Few Jumbled Thoughts

Just been contemplating a bit recently about passions, purpose, and potential; so just thought I would share a few jumbled thoughts...hopefully it makes sense. 

When I was in Year 12 & 13 at school, there was one question I didn't like answering: "What are you going to do when you finish school?" I'm sure I'm not the only one who was like this. How many times are people these days pressured to study at a good university? To find the career path that they'll take for the rest of their lives for their "dream job"? How often are we told that we're "giving up" if we drop out of a course that isn't right for us, or that it's "not good enough" if we don't go to Uni or Polytech in the first place? 

Since leaving school 3 years ago, I have studied for one year, had four different jobs, and lived in three different towns/cities. Looking at this, it can be easy for me to become discouraged: I've shifted around a lot, I've done some pretty boring jobs, I've faced difficulties and loneliness along the way. But being negative is not the path I'm choosing to take. For me, this choice has taken me a while to come to. Trust me, it didn't happen overnight, but I wanted to share my journey in the hope that it'll encourage others who have similar stories 

We all have purposes in life, but our choices can change where we are heading. We can't always choose our circumstances, but we can choose how we respond to them. I could've had more job opportunities if I hadn't just worked at New World for so long. But, I choose to thank God for the people who came through my checkout who I was able to share a smile with.  I could've been a qualified Primary Teacher at the end of this year. Instead, I choose to thank God that He has opened other opportunities for me, and that I do not have a student loan. Falling down can be an accident ... staying down is a choice. 

So, how do we find our purpose and passions in a world of pressures? How do we reach our full potential when everyone else is creating illusions that we begin to believe for ourselves? We are given the gift of being alive on this earth, at this particular time in history. God made us all different but the same - We all have different personalities, different pasts, different gifts, different callings, but we are made in His image. It's only in Christ that we find out who we are, and what we are living for. So what things are holding you back from reaching your potential? When we put our gifts into actions, the gap to reaching our potential closes. 

Have a good weekend.
Esther x