As I am now in my seventh decade on this earth I often have thoughts of “What have I accomplished.”
I can remember in the days of my youth some of my friends saying they wanted certain things in life and had desires of becoming doctors, lawyers, teachers, and/or many other occupations that is desperately needed for survival on earth.Many of them have achieved their desires and have been a tremendous impact on their family and those around them.
For me all I ever wanted to accomplish in life, this is my thinking as a youth, was to play professional baseball.
I didn’t really have a road map on how I was going to accomplish this. I played all of my youth and teenage years and did fairly well, played in high school and did pretty good, played in junior college and had a great season.
I even had a Division I school ask about me but I forgot one tremendously important part of pursuing my dream. I didn’t study in junior college and realized athletic ability, back in those days, didn’t get you where you needed to be.
This was also a time in my life when the draft was after eligible men to become soldiers and Vietnam was the hot spot of the world.
One thing I did have going for me was that I knew the Lord personally and knew He would lead me where he wanted me to go and what He wanted me to do.
I escaped the draft by joining the Air Force and through this I met my wonderful wife who has been with me in all that I have done. After my years in the Air Force I was asked to go in the newspaper business by a friend of mine at church.
Never in any of my desires did I ever want to be in sales or a journalist but the Lord had plans for me.
Just as He told the Israelites coming out of captivity through the prophet Jeremiah in 29:11; “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
Many young people plan what they want to do and succeed at it. I had no idea what I wanted to do, other than play baseball, and the Lord gave me a very successful career in the newspaper business.
I am not sure that I would have chosen this career path but the Lord knew what He had in store for me.
In fact not too long ago my wife asked me what I wanted to be when I grow up!
The Lord has plans for all of us. I have talked with Him all of my life and He has directed me in my paths and I am sure glad He did. I hope that you will talk with Him daily and ask for His direction
GARY ANDREWS' devotional appears each week on the Church Pages of your Clarksdale Press Register. You can contact him at GARY@gadevotionals.com
