You are who you are for a reason.

You’re part of an intricate plan.

You’re a precious and perfect unique design,

Called God’s special woman or man.

You look like you look for a reason.

Our God made no mistake.

He knit you together within the womb,

You’re just what he wanted to make.

The parents you had were the ones he chose,

And no matter how you may feel,

They were custom-designed with God’s plan in mind,

And they bear the Master’s seal.

No, the trauma you faced was not easy.

And God wept that it hurt you so;

But it was allowed to shape your heart

So that into his likeness you’d grow.

You are who you are for a reason,

You’ve been formed by the Master’s rod.

You are who you are, beloved,

Because there is a God!

 ~by Russell Kelfer~

“I am so happy & grateful because every day I wake up and get to be Salvador Dali!”

I graduated from George McDougall High School in Airdrie, the class of ’71.  Our graduation ceremonies were held in September of ’72, which was a common practice in those days.  The protocol of the day was to have our graduation supper in the town’s community Hall and then proceed to the High School gymnasium for the ceremonies and the dance.  Most of the ceremony consisted of the graduates going on stage to receive their diploma from the principal and each student was given the opportunity to relay his or her future plans to the teachers & parents.

There were a wide variety of proposed occupations voiced, including dentist, farmer, university degree of such and such, legal receptionist and so on and so on.  My claim to fame was to be…a laborer.  That was it.  There seemed to be lot of emphasis placed on ones vocation.  How many times have you heard some kindly Aunt or Relative ask a youngster,  “And what do you want to be when you grow up?” or to any pending graduate, “And what will you be taking in University or doing after graduation?” 

How about meeting someone for the first time, dollars to donuts the first question would be, “And what do you do for a living?” or if one has grown children, “And what do they do for a living?”  Years ago I met a young fellow from our high school whom  I’d not seen for many years.  I asked him the standard question and his reply was, “He worked for the Southland Corporation!”  Ah said I, you work for 7-11 then.  You see, I had worked for the Southland Corp. myself…

There seems to be a lot of people unhappy with where they work, whom they work for and what they do for work with the end result complaining about the first five days of any given week.  5/7^th of the week are sacrificed for the other 2/7^th .  The weekends serve only as a temporary reprieve from the blandness of the week.

I’m of the opinion now that any kind of reference to a vocation ‘pigeon-holes’ oneself.  I believe that restricting yourself to a set profession or job narrows ones possibilities and potential.  Russell Kelfer’s poem above states that we are precious & perfect and of a unique design and I’m thinking  that if we are of God’s design then that would make each and every one of us, ‘Without borders!’  Open to do anything we want…Opportunities Abound!

So, like Salvadore Dali’s quote above, perhaps your day would be much better served if you got to be, Trent La Marsh or Stan Jensen or Bill Stewart of whomever!  The pure essence of stating your name would mean the possibilities for you are endless! 

So, next time someone asks what do you do?...you could answer, “I’m being ‘your name’ and that’s quite a full time job, thankyou.”