At one time I was not able to use my talents and training in the way I had hoped. Although I had college degrees that had led to many years of fruitful work, I felt I still had more to give. When I returned to college later in life, a previously unrecognized talent surfaced that gave me enormous satisfaction. I earned a degree in graphic design—the culmination of an academic experience that I had found especially meaningful. 

I felt strongly that God had revealed this talent to me, but after graduating I was only a decade away from an age at which people commonly retire. My prospects for securing a graphic design position seemed slim. Three years of searching in this highly competitive field passed without success. But these were not wasted years. 

During this time, I gained a new, more spiritual perspective on work. I learned that my real job and purpose were to reflect God by living divine qualities, including the qualities I associated with graphic design: I could always be fully engaged in expressing order, beauty, originality, intelligence, and love. Glorifying God took on fresh meaning as I acknowledged Him as the sole source of these qualities. God was not neglecting me; rather, He was consistently revealing inspired ideas. I created and shared art in my community, spending countless hours exploring how spiritual qualities could be expressed in my designs.