you may fall in love with music at a young age and know that you want to devote your life to it. But it can be years before you are able to focus on that aspect of music for which you are truly gifted, such as playing a specific instrument, composing, etc. You may discover that your true love is for building things. As you start getting some experience in the construction trades, you may learn that you like commercial construction better than residential. Then you may find that you love engineering. In this way you zero in on your true love, which will almost always be where your true talent is found.In this process we are often finding out and eliminating who we are NOT, as well as who we are. Because of this, many people who have left a mark on the world went through a process of what appeared to be failure before they became a success. Properly understood, many experiences that we may think were failures were just coarse changes toward our ultimate purpose. These course changes should be distinguished from the ones that we make out of opposition or obstacles.
Likewise, there are successes that may dictate a course change. Many achieve a goal only to learn that it was not the fulfillment they were expecting. We must view every day of our lives as a school that is meant to prepare us for where we are heading. Every explorer has gone up a few box canyons and had to retrace their steps before finding the path through. That is not wasted time. Part of every explorer’s job is to map the territory so that those who come after them can avoid the box canyons. Those who leave their mark on the world do not just arrive at their destination; they make the way for everyone else to get there easier.
Even so, we must see that for us to achieve the place of ultimate effectiveness, we must see our path becoming straighter as we go. To accomplish what we are gifted to do, we must learn to refrain from that which we are not gifted to do. Knowing who we are NOT is part of the process of learning who we are.
In my own research, I have found that it is a very small percentage of people who actually work in the field in which they received their degree. Was their time in college wasted? Certainly most gain a lot from their education even if they do not work their field of study, but how much more effective could our education be if we were more certain of our purpose before we start? Learning to identify our purpose is the first step toward fulfilling it, and we have not found it if we are not certain that we are touching the deepest desires of our heart. If we are going to be leaders, and accomplish anything of significance, we must come to know our own heart, and have the fortitude to follow it. We must also have the wisdom and maturity to be able to distinguish our true heart’s devotion from just things that we like or even fantasies.
Rick Joyner is the founder and leader of MorningStar Ministries and is an internationally recognized speaker and author.
