Many people have lofty goals.  They want to do big things and make a lasting impact on their world. However, they are not sure how to go about it.  How does one find the road to their destiny? I believe that it happens automatically – as you live your life and use your God-given gifts and talents, your destiny will unfold. Just keep doing what you do, where you are.

The English novelist, Charles Reade wrote, “Sow a thought, and you reap an act; Sow an act, and you reap a habit; Sow a habit, and you reap a character; Sow a character, and you reap a destiny”.

We live in a youth-oriented society, and many feel that if they haven’t done great things before the age of 40, that they are all washed up.  There are those who make great strides early in life, but often it happens much later. Here are 3 examples of women who were used greatly in their later years.

  • Corrie ten Boom (1892-1983) was the daughter of a Dutch watchmaker who lived in the Netherlands. In 1942 she and her family, devout Christians, became active in the Dutch underground, hiding Jews who were being sought by the Gestapo. In 1944 the entire Ten Boom family was arrested and sent to prison, where several of them died. Corrie was released in 1944. After the war, she returned to the Netherlands to set up rehabilitation centers. She returned to Germany in 1946, and traveled the world as a speaker, appearing in more than sixty countries, and authoring several books. She told the story of her family and their work during World War II in her most famous book, “The Hiding Place” (1971), which was made into a film by World Wide Pictures in 1975. Although she had helped people all of her life, she made her greatest impact after the age of 50.  She didn’t set out to impact the world; she just did what she did, where she was.
  • Rosa Parks (1913-2005) has been called the “Mother of the Civil Rights Movement”. On December 1, 1955 in Montgomery, Alabama, at the age of 42, she refused to obey bus driver James Blake’s order that she give up her seat to make room for a white passenger. Her act of defiance became an important symbol of the modern Civil Rights Movement and she became an international symbol of resistance to racial segregation. She organized and collaborated with civil rights leaders, including boycott leader Martin Luther King, Jr. Although she became quite famous, she didn’t set out to impact the world, she just did what she did, where she was.
  • Luvinia Bell was not a well-known historical figure. She was a retired widow who lived a simple life in a 2-bedroom house in northern California in. As a devout Christian, she attended a small church in her area. In 1959 she befriended a young couple with 3 small children, ages 6, 2 & newborn who had just moved to town.  They joined the church that she attended and happened to move in to a house near hers. Since both parents worked, they were desperately in need of a babysitter. Although she was well past child rearing years, she decided to help them out and offered to watch the children at her home. Her home was simple and clean and her yard was well manicured and filled with colorful flowers like marigolds and snapdragons. She fed the children delicious, hearty meals and loved them like her own grandchildren. She read Bible stories to them from a beautifully illustrated set of books and she even taught the 6 year old to memorize simple verses. She was an absolute blessing to that young family.

She did not become world-renowned, but she did impact the world, indirectly. You see, that 6-year-old girl went on to become an author, singer and worship leader who has traveled the world and impacted hundreds of thousands of lives. I know, because I was that 6-year-old girl.   Mrs. Bell had no idea that her small efforts would be instrumental in shaping a life that would touch the world. She just did what she did, where she was.

So I encourage you to do what you do, where you are because you never know whose life you will touch.