His black curly hair stood out amongst the other Asian medical students with straight locks. Bubbly and gushing with the energy of a hamster, he seemed to know everyone in our medical school class, and laughter was always present.
“Dude!” It was always dude! “What are you going to specialize in?”
“Don’t know yet, I’ll know better once we get on the wards.” I thought I better return the question since he obviously wanted me to ask him. “How about you?”
“Dude! Pedo!”
“Pediatrics? So you know for sure?”
“Dude! Of course!”
“Why?” It was the first week of medical school and I was still attempting to digest a workload that was ten times greater than anything I had previously experienced. I was worried about passing my classes. Meanwhile, this guy was absolutely sure that he was going to be a pediatrician.
“How do you know?”
“Dude!” He was beaming. “ It’s the kiddies! Gotta love the kids!”
Indeed!
The four years quickly flew by and, as he predicted, my colleague graduated and matched at a prestigious pediatrics program and later subspecialized as a pediatric emergency room physician. He is now the director of medical education at a renowned university medical center on the east coast where he still teaches pediatrics to the next generation of medical students and residents.
I have always admired people who knew what they wanted to do in life from a very early age. Not me. I changed my major three times when I was in college, not even sure whether I wanted to become a doctor. When I was in medical school, I entertained several specialties before settling upon pathology, but not before I had submitted applications to pediatric programs because I was convinced I was going to become a pediatric hematologist-oncologist. Even after I became a pathology resident, I vacillated between several subspecialties including hematopathology, pediatric pathology, and neuropathology, before finally deciding upon dermatopathology.
Some people have a definite calling for a particular profession. Others, seemingly stumble through life until they find their profession. I take comfort that the Bible gives us many examples of the great Saints of the Bible who began their life in one profession but ended in another. The prophet Amos was a shepherd. The Apostle Matthew was a tax-collector. Lydia worked with expensive purple dyes and fabrics. Others knew they were committed to God but what pathway that would take would only be revealed many years later. The Prophet Samuel was dedicated as a child to the priesthood.
For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.
Romans 11:29 (ESV)
Once God confirmed His calling for their lives, whether as a child or an adult, they never looked back. The one constant was a fervor to follow the vision that God instilled within them.
“It’s the kiddies!”
Jesus Christ is a personal Savior who guides and directs each Believer to match their personalities and skills at the proper times in their lives. Unlike my classmate, my revelation to my profession came gradually, but we both serve God as physicians. He will reveal His plans for your life, no matter your age or what you have done in the past.
All you need to do is…
Love and trust the Lord; seek His will in your life.
The Bereans Blog 