A wise grandpa was having a conversation with his young grandson. He asked him what he was planning to do after he passed his forthcoming exams. The bright, young boy answered without hesitation, ‘I want to get accepted into a prestigious national school’.

‘And then what?’ asked grandpa. ‘Well, then I’ll work hard in high school, pass all my exams and go to a prestigious college for a business degree. After that I’ll start a business and make a lot of money!’

Undeterred, grandpa asked again; ‘and then what?’ ‘Well, I’ll buy a good house, drive a brand new German car and get married to a beautiful lady. We’ll have three children, and we’ll take them to the best schools so that they can also be successful’.

As more gathered to listen in on the conversation, grandpa asked yet again, ‘and then what?’ ‘Hmmm, and then I’ll make a lot of money and become very famous. I’ll win many awards and recognitions. I’ll be on TV all the time. And then my wife and I will retire, play golf every day and see the world. Once in a while, we’ll visit our children and their families and they can also visit us in our big house when we’re old’

With a twinkle in his eye, grandpa persisted, ‘and then what?’ ‘What else is there to do?’ the flustered boy asked. ‘We’ll grow old together with my wife and one day we’ll die!’

‘And then what?’ asked grandpa smiling gently. This time the young man scratched his head and was silent. He really didn’t have an answer.

The old man’s point of course was that there is more to life than being born, making money, having a family and then dying. As an old preacher said, ‘we were not just created to be hatched, matched and dispatched’! There is much more to life – there is a God-designed purpose in each of us that we were created for.

Your passions, personality, abilities and experiences, both good and bad, are clues about what you are uniquely gifted to accomplish. Your purpose is not just to make you comfortable but to impact others and to leave this world a better place than you found it.

As Paul of Tarsus wrote almost 2000 years ago, ‘we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago’ (Ephesians 2:10)

So by all means, be ambitious. Excel at what you do. Aim for the stars! But in the process, don’t loose sight of the fact that your life is not a random accident. There’s a unique role you were created for. And you owe it to yourself to discover what it is.

Having said that, I will be introducing a new category on my blog.

The Beauty For Ashes category will be discussing child abuse, spiritual abuse, sexual violence and abuse, and domestic violence. Basically, We will be reading the stories of girls who have suffered (or are suffering) abuse. It will be a platform to unburden hurt and pain.

One of the greatest ironies of living in our society is that while it is not considered impolite in a social setting to discuss one’s bowel movements, any mention of sexual harassment or abuse and it will be most likely be confronted with embarrassed silence. If one has been unfortunate enough to have been a victim and has the courage to speak up, they are usually told to keep quiet or are made to feel responsible for it in some way, which further encourages a culture of victim shaming and lack of justice for sexual predators. The Beauty For Ashes Category will be an avenue to share stories of abuse. Yes, It will give voice to victims.

So what’s your story. Contact me on dezarpet@yahoo.com to learn more about sharing your testimony or story. Identities will be protected.