“You were created on purpose for a purpose.” That may sound like pop psychology gibberish to you at first, but it is the truth. Modern studies into strengths and gifts, along with constantly new understandings of the complex wonder of DNA, lead us to conclude that each human being is truly unique. You hold within you a unique set of gifts that cannot be duplicated in the same way by another. What your parents may have told you about snowflakes growing up holds true for people too: no two are exactly alike.
However, we often live our lives in such a way that gives testimony to a falsity, that is, anybody can do just about any job. Positions in the workforce and in our parishes are filled with people who only fulfill one requirement for the job: they have warm bodies (meaning, they are not dead.) There are two realities that create this problem. First, we ask people to do things they are not equipped to do. We tell them to work harder at it and eventually they will get it. But I can guarantee that no matter how hard I try, I will not be able to lead an NBA team to a title. Sounds ludicrous on that level. But I assure you, it is no more ludicrous than asking someone that doesn’t really like children to teach elementary catechesis. Second, we ourselves sometimes believe that we have nothing special to offer. We go through life having no idea what our gifts are and how to give of them. We take dead-end jobs and rarely share ourselves with the community. But you may just be the answer to a business or parish problem that, to some, seems unsolvable.
On this Labor Day weekend, thank God for the gifts you have received. Use them to elevate your labor, both in the workplace and in the parish. If you don’t know how, there is help out there. You are not like everybody else. God has given you a purpose.
Tracy Earl Welliver, MTS
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