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And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” –Matt. 4:19
The last time I talked about “callings,” I emphasized the importance of a mentor who can impart both a love of a craft but also inspire the discipline required to achieve success within a particular field. While each of us would like to think of ourselves as fairly well rounded and knowledgeable in a number of disciplines, very few of us are actually “accomplished” in more than one or two areas. Thankfully we live in a free society that encourages specialization in areas where we are most gifted. Here is where I really covet the exposure of my children and yours to people who are especially talented at a particular craft and are making a living at it. There is nothing so inspiring as to see a master craftsman at work, to stand in his workplace, and to see his final product whether it be in sales, in teaching, in the factory or laboratory, or down on the farm. I remember falling in love with farming as a boy by experiencing the earthy smell of a warm dairy barn on a cold winter evening, savoring the sweet fragrance of new mown hay being put up in the mow, and watching the rich, moist earth being turned up behind me by a four-bottom plow. My more recent woodworking associations have brought me into close contact with craftsman specializing in various aspects of the craft. Each new demonstration excites in me a desire to learn a new skill and take it to the highest level. “I could do that,” I think to myself, if only I had the time.
Even for those who aspire to a professional, collegiate-path career, I still think it an invaluable experience to be exposed to a professional in their field whose shoulder is in the harness and who can impart the spark of excitement first-hand. I remember clearly the day we took a group of young people through a hospital in the Dominican Republic on a Sunday afternoon. We went in eager tourists to bring spiritual cheer. We emerged shaken, sobered to our core, tears in our eyes, and weeping in our spirits for the suffering of and minimal care afforded to the poor and downtrodden. One teen-ager felt led that evening to declare a leading to enter the medical profession, a field she could easily master. After exploring that avenue fully and turning from it, she is now quite preoccupied with foreign missions. She can’t seem to shake it and has spent serious time in Indonesia and Cambodia among the poor.
Whether it be watching a lawyer ply his craft in the courtroom, following a pastor into a ghetto, listening to a musician perform, or watching a welder create a perfect, steel seam, I am a believer in using anyone or anything to awaken the latent interests and gifts that lie within each child. I cannot do any of these things I just mentioned with a skill level that would inspire anybody. But there are others who can. I desired that my children have those experiences and meet those people who could. My son spent a semester working as an intern at the Tennessee Historical Society and several more weeks at the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. He is now an archivist with Vanderbilt University with a desire to do archival work for Wycliffe International. Daughter number one fell in love with the stage at Central High School due to a teacher who worked absolute magic with her choral groups. She went on to perform in every Bryan College play known to man and then became a choral director in the public school system. Daughter number two expressed an interest in nursing but affirmed that decision by a stint as a Certified Nursing Assistant. She is now a mother and part-time nurse with a medical group. My wife became a Spanish teacher through the influence of a high school Spanish teacher who took a special group of students to the sky with her love of the language. Be careful the people you allow your children to associate with. Either that or be purposely reckless. It could change their lives forever.
