Always DREAM: Cultivating Your Child’s Purpose

“Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life’s upcoming attractions.” ~Albert Einstein

God, what is my purpose? I asked this same question year after year and truly felt God was ignoring me (lol). But the intensity of this question started to weigh heavily on my heart. I knew that being a licensed clinical social worker wasn’t my ultimate purpose and that it was only for a season. As the days turned into years the weight of being a social worker started to take a toll on my well-being. By this time, I had been a social worker for 12 long years!! What is my “why”? I knew that it was something that I already loved doing. Purpose is exactly this. However, I just couldn’t put my finger on it. So, I continued to live my life praying and pleading that God would answer my prayer sooner than later.

On April 13, 2017, God finally answered my prayer. While lying on my sick bed—in unimaginable pain—I started to ask myself a familiar question, “God, what is my purpose?” Feeling like God was ignoring me again I asked myself another familiar question, “What do I want to be when I grow up?” When I repeated this question to myself, God started to reveal my purpose. “When I Grow Up Adventures” was born. The heavenly downloads were so clear to me it was purpose being revealed. I was so relieved this was finally happening and at the same time, I was so confused as to why it was happening now. God made it clear that I was finally in a position where He had my undivided attention. It made complete sense because I absolutely love working with children. Not to mention I love being creative. Although I hadn’t completely explored my creative side, there was a flame within that never burned out.

Being a kid is such a promising season in life. Freedom to imagine. Freedom to believe anything is possible. Freedom to just be. This sacred time in a child’s life is so critical. It can help cultivate a child for success. Or it can create a more challenging path for a young person. Even if a child is given the latter road in life, it doesn’t mean purpose won’t show up. Whatever they believe about themselves will determine whether they walk a path of fulfillment or one limited by self-doubt.

When I was a kid, I’ll never forget telling my mom that I was going to be a doctor, lawyer, teacher, nurse.. (you get the point...lol). She just smiled and told me that I could do it all!! My mother never once told me that I couldn’t be all of these things. One day at a parent-teacher conference, my mother repeated my long list of career ideas to my teacher. I remember sitting there with excitement because my mother believed in me. But as I got older, I began to realize that it wasn’t possible to explore all those careers. For 22 years, my career as a Social Worker has combined many of the things I wanted to be as a kid. My mother’s support remains a solid foundation in my life.

A child needs someone to believe in them before anyone offers feedback on their ideas. An adult’s only responsibility is to cultivate atmospheres that foster imagination. The weight of life has a way of distracting us from our purpose. Children are a nice reminder to dream again!!