A Role Only You Can Play

Why the world needs the unique person God created you to be.

One of the devotions in Soul Weathered is called A Role Only You Can Play.

It's built on a truth that has shaped the way I've looked at people for years.

Long before you were born...

before anyone knew your name...

before your parents held you...

God knew you.

He wasn't surprised by your personality.

He wasn't surprised by your gifts.

He wasn't surprised by your struggles.

He designed you with intention.

He created you with a role that only you can play.

Now, when we hear words like calling or purpose, most of us immediately think in religious terms.

We think about pastors.

Missionaries.

Church leaders.

Ministry.

But I don't believe that's how God sees it.

Look around the world.

We need teachers.

Doctors.

Artists.

Engineers.

Welders.

Writers.

Business owners.

Mechanics.

Mothers.

Fathers.

Nurses.

Musicians.

Scientists.

Craftsmen.

God's Kingdom advances through people faithfully living out who He created them to be.

One of the greatest privileges Sheri and I had as parents was watching our daughters become themselves.

Not who we wanted them to be.

Who God was shaping them to become.

Our oldest daughter showed extraordinary compassion from the time she was little.

When she was only five or six years old, she began saying she wanted to become a pediatrician.

We took that seriously.

We encouraged it.

We looked for ways to help her explore that interest.

She volunteered at a hospital.

She pursued science.

She followed that path for years.

Life eventually changed that direction.

After living with Crohn's disease herself and spending long periods in children's hospitals, she realized she didn't want to become a physician.

She wanted to care for children in different ways.

She studied nursing.

Later, because of her own health, she moved into social work and foster care, advocating for vulnerable children and families.

The destination changed.

The compassion never did.

That was part of God's design all along.

Our younger daughter made us laugh.

When she was little, she announced that she wanted to be a "bug keeper."

She spent hours turning over rocks, collecting insects, and carefully watching them in little containers.

Later those interests changed.

Art captured her heart.

Then writing.

Today she works as an esthetician.

She loves creating beauty.

She loves caring for people.

When you watch her work, you can tell she's doing something that fits who God made her to be.

Sheri and I didn't create those gifts.

We simply tried to recognize them.

Encourage them.

Give our daughters permission to pursue them.

I wish every child had someone doing that.

Because many people never hear the words:

"I see something in you."

Instead they're told to choose whatever career seems safest.

Whatever pays the most.

Whatever looks successful.

And sometimes they spend years living someone else's life instead of the one God designed for them.

Have you ever watched someone doing what they were created to do?

It doesn't have to be spectacular.

It might be a teacher.

A mechanic.

A nurse.

A craftsman.

A coach.

Someone grooming dogs.

Someone welding steel.

Someone leading a meeting.

Someone making music.

Something about them comes alive.

And when you watch them...

something inside you says,

"That's beautiful."

I believe that's because you're seeing more than talent.

You're catching a glimpse of the image of God shining through another human being.

One of the reasons I enjoy watching shows like America's Got Talent is not simply because of the performances.

It's because every now and then, someone walks onto that stage and does exactly what they were created to do.

The judges know it.

The audience knows it.

Everyone feels it.

They stand.

They cheer.

They cry.

Why?

Because we are moved whenever we witness someone fully alive in the gifts God placed within them.

That's what Soul Weathered is inviting you to discover.

Not simply what you're good at.

But where the image of God shines most naturally through your life.

Where His goodness.

His creativity.

His compassion.

His strength.

His beauty.

His wisdom.

Become visible through you.

Because there truly is...

a role only you can play.

No one else can live it.

No one else can replace it.

Not another person.

Not technology.

Not even artificial intelligence.

God created one of you.

On purpose.

For a purpose.

And when you begin walking with Him in that design...

the world doesn't simply benefit from your gifts.

It catches another glimpse of the God who gave them.