It took me 25 years to figure this out!

My husband and I were sharing experiences about college assignments with our daughter. I browsed through the papers I had written for a few classes as I tried to find a particular assignment.

Unfortunately, I did not find that one, but I did find an assignment from my technical writing class where I was supposed to describe several qualities or skills in which I excel. The two skills I talked about were teaching and listening.

I chuckled and almost let myself go down an unhelpful train of thought. My thought was that I didn't consider those skills much when deciding on a degree and career field.

It took me 25 years to realize that learning, teaching, and listening are how I want to spend my time and energy because I’m good at them.

I could have stayed in a mindset of thinking of how much time I had lost or how I should have done things differently, but that wouldn't have been helpful. Instead, I chose to look at the positives.

• God used my gifts, talents, and skills during our homeschooling years. I learned (and continue to learn) alongside our daughters. And I taught others what I had learned, too.
• I had opportunities to learn about many subjects.
• I learned to listen better and developed deeper relationships with my husband and daughters.
• Finding that assignment was a confirmation that I was on the right track.

And most importantly, God's timing is perfect. Even though it might look like I'm late to the game, I know that God will use the skills I acquired through our homeschooling experience and my years running a small business in my future endeavors. I've already seen glimpses of how my past experiences might complement my future plans. God is so good!

Have you had a similar experience? Have you wondered if it's too late to pursue your dreams and develop your gifts and talents more?

It might not be! It might be God's perfect timing.