Knowing What Is Best

KNOWING WHAT IS BEST

Two years I had spent preparing for an entrance examine in Theology; hoever, I was told that my answers were more conducive to Biblical exegesis. Fortunately, I was willing to take the examining board’s advice and my studies became more productive. I was, after all, not to represent the great theologians, but I was to represent Jesus the Christ. More to the point, I had to be stopped from pursuing a field of interest that was not beneficial for me.

The reason I am recalling this incident is that I have met young people that were disappointed because they could, for numerous reasons, not enroll in a school that offered their choice subjects. This disappointment should not deter us from looking into other areas that may prove more satisfactory than the one’s we like. We do not always know what is best for us until we have a chance to apply what we have learned. Also there may not be a need for what we have learned. When I entered Seminary, there was a shortage of teachers, but by the time I received my credentials, there was a surplus. Fortunately, I continued as a pastor and taught part-time. We had two sons with college degrees; however, they could not get work. They had to be retrained. I recall when President Kennedy called for more engineers and in a very short time many were driving taxis.

Again, our political leaders stress the need for a college education. The question is, “Can a college guarantee a job?” I am Mr. Simpelton. I have learned one hard lesson in my dealing with people. It is this: “My job, whether I like it or not, must put bread on the table.” Many of the studies I have taken and taught were subject and teacher orientated, but not bread providers. My father had only one half year of education and he taught me how to create bread in more than one area of skills. When circumstances disrupted by physical ability to earn my bread, I explored the mental realm to create income in fields that were not overcrowded. The mass production of workers with skills for no jobs should be unthinkable.

Take it from an eighty year old that has survived competitions and failures. He has never had the pleasure of “knowing what is best,” but he has, in trying, succeeded in areas that proved to be better than just the best. It is easy to become a statistic when we give up, when we cannot have what we want. It is also risky to hope for another opportunity while better chances pass us.