Your calling is calling

 If you get a chance, check out my favorite part of my study this week:

What is Your Calling In Life

It's a talk by Jeffrey Thompson.  I'm not sure who he is, but he makes amazing points. 

My little brother and I both suffer from varying degrees of what I like to call the "Pippin Complex."  It's a theory based on the musical Pippin by Stephen Shwartz in which the main character, Pippin, is always looking "for my corner of the sky" because "eagles belong where they can fly." He thinks of himself as extraordinary, and that "when you're extraordinary, you need to do extraordinary things."  

He tries being a king, being a scholar, being a drunk, being a lover/partner/father, and no matter what he tries, nothing is ever "extraordinary" enough for him.  He's special, therefore he must have a special calling. However, chasing this calling came at the expense of his own happiness and nearly at the expense of his very life. 

I had this complex bad up until about 5 years ago when I received a concussion and stuff changed pretty dramatically and really fast. Since then, I've been able to learn that I have value just by being and I had enough time to study my patriarchal blessing a bit closer. As I drew closer to the Spirit and farther from the complex, I came to many of the conclusions found stated so eloquently in the article above. 

I'd like to draw your attention to one particular of the 5 "heresies" noted in the talk. 

Heresy 2: One True Calling.

I think this is why so many of us struggle at 40. For my part, I declared that I wanted to be a wife and mother when I grew up.  I had accomplished both by 36.  If those were my one true calling ... then now what? 

If theater was my one true calling, I missed it.  If writing books rather than writing plays was it, then I missed that!  

Wait wait wait - no. Agency. There isn't one true calling because we can choose to follow any one (or many) of the numerous figurative and literal talents the Lord has blessed us with. 

That means that yes, I can reach many with my scripts and theatrical outreach to lower income schools and areas.  I can also raise funds for scholarships and host suicide awareness activities. I can sing in a nursing home or create a choir that can sing at hospitals during holidays. I could offer my talents with excel or persuasive writing to any number of social innovative companies who could benefit. 

Heavenly Father has created a multi-faceted me who is never quite finished learning, growing, or teaching. Therefore, it is like putting Him and His plan in a box to say that I have one true calling and I'm not going to touch any other hobby, passion, or talent. 

No siree, I'll not be making that mistake.  Well, not again. 

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