I have long been a study in contrasts. I have a very naughty side…and I have a very spiritual side. I don’t think my naughty side is nearly as naughty as I like to think it is – I think I am just more honest about it than most people.

My spiritual side, just like my naughty side, needs constant attention and much care.  I have been doing  a better job of taking care of myself lately, spiritually. I have been going to church, and Sunday School, and a small group. I have taken the class required to join this church, and I have been quiet. I have been listening. I have been seeking, knowing that sooner or later, God would speak.

Professionally, I have known I was in the wrong place for awhile. It has been unravelling for some time now, and every time I said something, and it came to pass, well, I knew it was a clear sign that it was time to get out.

But get out to where? What else did I want to do? Where else was I going to go?  I knew what I was good at – but months of sending out resumes has gotten me nowhere, so obviously something wasn’t right.

I have friends who continually tell me that I can take a situation and break it down to its most essential elements – its purest questions.  They call me the Forest Seer.  I can see the big picture. I can see the consequences of an action.

So I was slowly coming to the conclusion that I should be a therapist.

Then today – another friend sent me an email that included these words…

There are a lot of people out there seeking Christian based
counseling.  I’ve known you long enough now to know you have the
goods to do that.  You have good organizational skills.  You
interact well with people.  You have the desire to help them.  It’s
really a natural step to take.  If I’m wrong, say so.

Heather, I’m a seasoned church leader who counseled people
including battered wives of Marines among other things.  I’m not as
good at it as you can be.  I’ve overseen as many as twenty church
members at a time with my wife.  We organized gatherings and all
the trappings that go with it.  I taught teen Sunday School classes
for years.  I’ve preached in the home church and outside by
invitation.  I’ve studied the Word, yet today you said something
that pricked my heart to a principle I had let out of my grasp.
You said you were just the vessel.  That’s true, but the vessel
contains a treasure.  A gift.  A calling.  Let the vessel be broken
to let the gift out.  That means you put yourself aside and let God
take over and direct your foot steps toward something you may not
even feel comfortable with.  Comfort zones are for people who don’t
want to grow.

There was more, but you get the drift.

And when I read these words, I felt peace. I felt excited. I felt ready to make a plan and make some progress.  And I asked my friends to pray with me that the way towards this calling will be made clear, that the things I need will be within my grasp, that the sacrifices necessary will make the gift bear fruit.

Shocked? No need to be.  Contrast makes life interesting – growth makes life beautiful.