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I was born to be a teacher.

As a young child, I gathered all my dolls and teddy bears and sat them in rows in front of me. I stood in front of them and pretended to teach. But before I spoke, I took a scarf and covered my head. My mother said she had no idea where this came from. Although we attended church on Sundays, no woman covered her head.

My little sister, Sharon, was born when I was in second grade. As soon as she was old enough, I taught her the alphabet, science, and geography. By the time she was in first grade, she already knew everything in the curriculum. All her teachers thought she was brilliant.

While I was in high school, I attended a youth camp where, for the first time in my life, I heard a foreign missionary, Rhoda Kauffman, speak. She was a teacher in Pakistan. Each night she talked about her work and showed slides. And every evening I heard God say, “Pat, this is how I want to use your life.”

When I went home and told my father God had called me into international missions, he responded, “Oh, no! God wouldn’t do that!” Cold water poured on my excitement, but his reaction did not stop me from believing God was calling me to overseas missions.

Through the years of high school, university, and seminary, God’s call persisted and became my goal. My parents grew accustomed to the idea and embraced God’s will for my life. After my first term of five years in Amman, Jordan, I returned to the States for a furlough and had many opportunities to speak and show my slides in churches, schools, and service organizations.

Once, when Mother was with me, she saw a picture of me with a scarf on my head as I was teaching, standing in front of rows of women with heads covered. By my parents’ expressions and comments, I could tell they were proud of their first-born daughter.

God has something special for each of us to do with our lives. When He lets us know how He wants to use us, He provides all we need and prepares us for the mission. Nothing is more gratifying than following the Lord’s plan for your life.

Don’t neglect what God is calling you to do. 

(Photo courtesy of pixabay.)

(For more devotions, visit Christian Devotions.)