As our children grow and move toward independence, we and they think much about future work for them. Through the years we have hopefully been noticing unique talents and abilities, and have been encouraging them to work diligently to develop those talents.
Children are not *one-size-fits-all*, but differ from one another in gifts, abilities, interests and challenges. We as parents should certainly focus on our children’s moral and spiritual development, as is stated in the following Bible verse.
| Pro 22:6 | Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. |
However, this verse also seems to indicate that the child should be trained up in the way he should go. He has a specific way that is best for him to go.
The following article is one about discovering one’s gifts and interests, and pursuing them. I really liked it, and hope you do, too:
True and Real
By Mac Anderson
You can’t fake passion. It is the fuel that drives any dream and makes you happy to be alive. However, the first step to loving what you do is to self analyze, to simply know what you love.
We all have unique talents and interests, and one of life’s greatest challenges is to match these talents with career opportunities that bring out the best in us. It’s not easy — and sometimes we can only find it through trial and error — but it’s worth the effort.
Ray Kroc, for example, found his passion when he founded McDonald’s
at the age of 52. He never “worked†another day of his life.
John James Audubon was unsuccessful for most of his life. He was a terrible businessman. No matter how many times he changed locations, changed partners, or changed businesses, he still failed miserably.
Not until he understood that he must change himself did he have any shot at success. And what changes did Audubon make? He followed his passion. He had always loved the outdoors and was an excellent hunter. In addition, he was a good artist and, as a hobby, would draw local birds.
Once he stopped trying to be a businessman and started doing what he loved to do, his life turned around. He traveled the country observing and drawing birds, and his art ultimately was collected in a book titled Audubon’s Birds of America.
The book earned him a place in history as the greatest wildlife artist ever. But more importantly, the work made him happy and provided the peace of mind he’d been seeking all his life.
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This article was excerpted from The Dash Gift Book by Linda Ellis and Mac Anderson reprinted here with permission. You may share this story as long as you do not edit the content and leave all the links active. http://www.SimpleTruths.com ~ Thank you ~
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I like this! You know, for many years I thought that verse applied only to training our children in the ways of the Lord. It’s only in recent years that I realized it meant what this article is saying. Kind of gives “child-directed homeschooling” new meaning for me.