Do you ever spend your time asking yourself ‘What if?’
What if I could have travelled more?
What if I could have chosen a different career?
What if I could have been an artist?
What if I could have been a writer?
What if I could have worried less about everything in life?
What if…? What if…? What if…? What if..?
I’m reminded of a passage by Phil 3:13-14, “I give no thought to what lies behind but push on to what is ahead. My entire attention is on the…prize to which God calls me.”
Don’t waste your time asking the ‘What if’ questions. If you do, you will be directing all of your mental energy on things and events that could have happened. Things and events that you have no control over in your life. You took different paths in life based on certain needs you had at the time.
Perhaps life circumstances required you to work instead of doing something else, something you were called to be. I’m not advocating for you to suddenly become a prophet and cross a desert to preach or evangelize. Certainly not. God has given us each a talent, but you don’t want to wait until it is too late in order to use those talents, or you will be filled with regret.
It is important to allow your creativity to soar. Don’t give up because of age, illness, and especially if people around you are naysayers. It’s all about having hope. If you want to read more about this or looking for a treasured gift for yourself or a loved one? Look no further than my debut book “A Star in the Distance”. I’ve packed it with personal stories, self-help with daily guidance, classic poetry, and daily scripture.
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Being filled with regret builds up unnecessary stress. Your talent maybe simply being a good listener, a good neighbor, volunteering, or having a kind heart. Maybe you are good at cooking, playing an instrument, singing, designing, gardening, or writing. Everyone has a talent, a purpose in life. You don’t have to be a famous celebrity to follow your hidden dream or talent.
Don’t let past inhibitions hang over you and shape your future. Instead, focus on today. Today is a gift from God, this is why it is called the present. Let God take care of your worries for the future.
God knows the plans he wants for us. I’m reminded of a bible passage from Jeremiah (29:11), “For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.”
Don’t try to be someone else. Everyone is different. There is no point in ruminating about what could have, should have been, if only I had…The secret is how you address that gap.
Follow that voice!
Do you ever find that somewhere deep inside, a burning desire? It whispers. It’s there. Try this. It’s like an inner voice, propelling you with a purpose. It doesn’t tell you to give up and not try. It is never negative. This burning desire is the Holy Spirit within you, guiding you. You may not become a great or famous person. God will only guide you in small, effortless steps, for what you can manage.
After hearing that voice, the next step is for you to move forward, take the reins, and act. Put all of your energy and talents towards that hidden talent. No matter the time period, even the age. Nothing will stop you if you answer the call, which burning desire from the Holy Spirit within you.
In Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians (1.7-7), he explains, “but each has a particular gift from God, one having one kind and another a different kind.”
Look at the many people who followed that voice and found their talent, that dream, regardless of their ages.
> Grandma Moses, American folk artist began painting at age 78.
> Winston Churchill, UK prime minister, was re-elected at age 77.
> Laura Ingalls Wilder began writing ‘Little House on the Prairie’ at age 65.
> Yuichiro Miura (Japan) in 2014, became the oldest person to reach the top of Mount Everest at age 80. He wants to do the same at age 90.
> Rosemary Smith, during the 1960s, drove a Formula one car in a rally race. She became the champion at the age of seventy-nine.
> Smoky Dawson, Australia’s first cowboy, became the oldest person to compose, record, and release a new album at the age of ninety-two.
> Harriette Thompson, cancer survivor, ran her first marathon at age 76. Then at 91, completed her 15th marathon in the United States.
In the second letter of Paul to the Corinthians (5.14), he writes, “For the love of Christ urges us on.”
God compels us to action, to be motivated towards achieving our goals. Through God’s love for us. The Holy Spirit is activated within us to “do” what God wants. To heed that call means we are working with our holy spirit. We are working with God, doing His will.