Find your purpose and make some sparks

So often too many of us spend our lives being an iron that makes grilled cheese sandwiches. I know, just stay with me.

Quite some time ago, I heard a story and like many interesting and inspiring stories, I tucked it away in my mind as useful information from which to draw. I will share my version of it with you here.

Well, we all know what an iron is, what it does, and what it is used for. In essence, we know its intended purpose. However, an iron can also be used to make a grilled cheese sandwich. Think about it.

After several years of making grilled cheese sandwiches though, the cheese has seeped into the holes of the soleplate and hardened. In addition to the cheese deposits, there is considerable burnt on butter residue. The steam vents are clogged and then, there is that melted plastic from a loaf of bread that accidentally touched the iron a few times.

I can still go back and try to use it to iron my clothes, but by now it is much more difficult. The steam function is not working properly and the build-up is causing smudges to be left on my clothes. I clean it repeatedly only to find the same thing. The iron heats up well enough to do a decent job of getting the wrinkles out, but it leaves an awful burnt smell in my fabrics.

I can no longer use the iron effectively-at least not for its intended purpose.

This is what can happen when we are not using our gifts and talents, or operating within our purpose. We spend so much of our lives doing what we think we ought to be doing, or even