The guest pastor at church this morning spoke about needs vs. call. The needs, he noted, are great, and many very legitimate and even urgent. But that doesn't mean we are being called. "You can't be passionate about the whole world", he suggested coyly, encouraging us instead to be selective and focussed in our giving and in our prayer.
It kind of reminded of me Nancy, a principal I heard speak at a leadership development event when I was a new teacher... she likened many of us then young, eager teacher leaders to shirts on a laundry line, flapping in the breeze, unfocussed and all over the place, wherever the wind blew us. She encouraged us to search out and follow our passion, find our niche, and really focus our energy on becoming strong, skilled leaders in one area, to make a powerful impact in that area.
Focus has never been my forte. It all seems so interesting, so important... saliency is something that eludes me, apparently. In choosing one path, I grieve the many I did not select. (The good thing about teaching is that the paths are many and a great number of them intersecting, so there is plenty of opportunity to stumble upon the important stuff repeatedly in case one misses it the first time!)
But back to the good pastor's message this morning... it reaches beyond the realm of my chosen career in public education of course, where there is much need. Sometimes I am overwhelmed by the quantity and intensity of the need in my classroom and in my community and beyond... but as my dear partner and I often remind each other, "one step at a time". Now I am also reminded that as we take those single small but oh-so-important steps, we need to heed the call. The needs may abundant, but each of us is not called to solve all of them; listening carefully and acting with discernment can help us to use our individual and collective talents to impact positive change in the most effective manner possible.
My goal this week is to listen (BIG goal, for those of you who know me!!!! If you are one who prays, please do so in abundance for me this week, I urge you!), so that I can discern the needs I am called to help with and learn about during my short sojourn on this planet.
It kind of reminded of me Nancy, a principal I heard speak at a leadership development event when I was a new teacher... she likened many of us then young, eager teacher leaders to shirts on a laundry line, flapping in the breeze, unfocussed and all over the place, wherever the wind blew us. She encouraged us to search out and follow our passion, find our niche, and really focus our energy on becoming strong, skilled leaders in one area, to make a powerful impact in that area.
Focus has never been my forte. It all seems so interesting, so important... saliency is something that eludes me, apparently. In choosing one path, I grieve the many I did not select. (The good thing about teaching is that the paths are many and a great number of them intersecting, so there is plenty of opportunity to stumble upon the important stuff repeatedly in case one misses it the first time!)
But back to the good pastor's message this morning... it reaches beyond the realm of my chosen career in public education of course, where there is much need. Sometimes I am overwhelmed by the quantity and intensity of the need in my classroom and in my community and beyond... but as my dear partner and I often remind each other, "one step at a time". Now I am also reminded that as we take those single small but oh-so-important steps, we need to heed the call. The needs may abundant, but each of us is not called to solve all of them; listening carefully and acting with discernment can help us to use our individual and collective talents to impact positive change in the most effective manner possible.
My goal this week is to listen (BIG goal, for those of you who know me!!!! If you are one who prays, please do so in abundance for me this week, I urge you!), so that I can discern the needs I am called to help with and learn about during my short sojourn on this planet.
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