ENGAGE!

Isn’t it nice that you have reached a point in your life where you know what you are doing? Your plans were well laid and are on track. You have your five-year plan, your 20-year plan, and all is well. You have reached your current career goals and are definitely headed in the right direction in order to achieve the next set. So, what is this little nagging thought that occasionally surfaces in your mind? Just the slightest hint of disquiet comes at the random time. “Is this what I really want to be doing?” You are supposed to answer with a hearty “yes”, so you do every time. Maybe the cost is a bit more than you bargained for in the beginning, but the rewards are worth it, right? Great, I am glad you think so, and I am happy for you. That presumes that what you say is actually the truth.

Down through the years, I have heard and read stories of men and women you made radical changes in their lives. There are tales of them giving up the big office, the impressive title, the six-figure income and doing something totally different and unexpected. Sometimes the motive is taking time to enjoy life more, to escape the constant running after those big rewards and slowing to a walk to take a look at something else. One example that comes to mind is an executive who had it all: the corner office, the big salary, all of the perks that went with that kind of job, and the esteem of all of the people with whom he worked. One day, he decided to change. He gave up his job and all of its rewards and decided to become an opera singer. He had been singing for years, taking lessons as the mood struck, but now he went after that new dream with the same enthusiasm he had used to get to the top of the corporate tower. He eventually joined a small opera company which gave local performances. He said he was far happier than when he was the big executive, and he found he really didn’t miss the big money and perks as much as he feared he might.

If you are fortunate enough to have found your proper niche in life, that you are in the right place and it is the right time, then congratulations! I am truly happy for you. If, on the other hand, there is a slight persistent itch that you just can’t quite scratch right, something that comes and goes, then maybe there is something else out there calling you. There is a book titled, “God Isn’t Finished With Me Yet.” Maybe that is your itch. What if all of your living up to now has been just a preparation for something else, a something else that God has planned for you all along? If you think you don’t have the education, get it. If you don’t know enough about it, then satisfy your curiosity and search the Internet, ask those who do have the information you seek, and ask God just what the heck He wants you to do. On the other hand, maybe you should take a risk and leap out on faith, trusting God to guide you and protect you.

If you are a fan of the various Star Trek series and movies, then you know how it goes. To paraphrase the orders: “Boldly go where you have never been before, and do what you have never done”. Seek out God and find the direction He wishes you to take. When you are ready, when your spiritual and natural energies are ready for the journey, when you are ready to leap out in faith, then take command and speak those powerful words:

ENGAGE!