It’s day 14 of the series 31 Days of Lessons Learned from My 20’s. If you want to read all the posts in this series, you can find every post listed here. If you want to have all the posts delivered to your email inbox, subscribe here.

When I was growing up my mom always said to me, “You can be anything you set your mind to be!” I know her words were meant with the deepest love and well-intention. She said them to encourage me, to plant seeds of self-confidence, and to promote a strong work ethic. However, her words weren’t correct. Or at least not entirely.

I shouldn’t be just anything I set my mind to be, and you shouldn’t either.

If you were to ask me what my two biggest struggles in life have been thus far I would tell you:

1. singleness (Which is now replaced with marriage. Marriage is super hard for me!! I’m a tad-bit selfish!)

2. my calling, career, or purpose.

I was in my second year of teaching, and finishing up my graduate classes for my Master’s degree program, when I knew I was not meant to be a teacher. Oh, I set my mind to being a teacher, for sure! I worked hard, graduated top of my class in undergraduate and graduate school, stayed late and arrived early. But I strongly disliked teaching.

I found myself starting a career with two degrees in hand that I absolutely loathed. I know that is a very harsh word to use, but it’s the truth.

My problem? I didn’t ask God if He wanted me to be a teacher.

“The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.” Proverbs 16:9

Years later I took a spiritual gifts test.

Personality tests, temperament tests, and spiritual gifts tests fascinate me! I can sit for hours and take them over and over. What’s so fascinating to me is that generally speaking they all seem to say about the same thing about me and they all match up to how I would describe myself.

So guess what is my strongest spiritual gift? Teaching!! 

What I discovered is that I like the act of teaching. I like standing in front of people and teaching them something new. I like public speaking where I’m teaching. I like writing on this blog where in many ways I’m teaching. I like mentoring young women.

I don’t like teaching small children in a public school setting. 

The more I discovered about my personality and gifts, I realized, too, that even though my one of my spiritual gifts is teaching, teaching in a classroom with children does not fit my personality. I am an introvert. I get completely drained by high doses of talking and engagement and the requirement to be “on” all the time. And as you know, that’s exactly what elementary classrooms consist of!

“As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace.” 1 Peter 4:9

God has intricately designed each one of us with gifts and personality traits and skills to accomplish His purpose for our lives. Sure, we may have the intelligence or financial means or determination to be anything we desire to be, but will we be honoring God if it’s not His purpose for us? And will we experience a life of joy?

My advice: You shouldn’t be just anything you set your mind to be. Instead, be who God created you to be. From that place you will influence the most people of His glory and you will be the most fulfilled. 

 How has God gifted you? What is He calling you to do with your life to bring Him glory?