Our lives are often like chapters in a book. We all have had the “growing up at home” chapter. From there we may have had the “go to college” chapter, the “begin a career,” “get married and have kids” chapters, and so on. But frequently someone may find themselves feeling stuck in a job that isn’t fulfilling but settling there rather than pursuing their dreams.
Carl Allamby was just such a person. He started an auto-repair business when he was just 19 years old. By the age of 34 he had two shops and eleven employees. But something was missing. He decided to go to school to get a business degree, thinking this might help him to grow his shops even more. But it was while he was taking a required biology class that he discovered something important. After the first day of class, he remembered that when he was younger he had dreamed of being a doctor. But that was crazy to think about now. By the time he had walked into that biology class he was nearly 40 and had a family to support.
Yet, with the encouragement of one of his professors and the support of his wife, he sold his auto-shops and enrolled at Northeast Ohio Medical University. He would be nearly 50 by the time he would become a doctor. But he was undeterred. He stated, “My kids look up to me, my community looks up to me. I fit so many demographics that say you shouldn’t be a doctor. Whether it’s because of my age, my race, my upbringing, my past career – these are all good reasons why I shouldn’t be her. And yet, here I am.”
Maybe you are in a career that you love. But if not, perhaps it’s not too late for your next chapter. I can’t help but wonder what God might have in store for you?