Tears and Laughter: Life is like a baby blue marlin

Did you by chance see the picture of the baby Blue Marlin on the Gettin’ Outdoors Radio with Big Daddy Lawler Facebook page? It was on a man’s fingertip. It was tiny, and mostly just eyeballs, but blue marlins can grow to weigh almost 2,000 pounds.

Human babies are small when they are born too. Not on the same scale as the baby blue marlin, but small.

My sweet Melissa was once a baby. Now she is 17. She is a senior. Many of her friends are seniors too. She spends a lot of time worrying about what exactly she should do for the rest of her life.

I try and tell her that this is normal and that every one of her friends are probably feeling the same way. That I did when I was a senior, and so did all of my friends. We called it senioritis.

Melissa has concluded that it is hard at 17 to declare what you want to do forever.

And I agreed with her.

I told her she was absolutely right, and that nobody expects anybody to know. But, she can’t hear me for worrying.

She worries she won’t be ready. That opportunity will pass her by. She worries she isn’t smart enough or prepared enough. She fears she isn’t tall enough, attractive enough or good enough in math.

That’s what made me decide to show her that picture of the little baby blue marlin. It was smaller than a minnow.

If the baby blue marlin could talk, it would probably say how unprepared it felt…flopping around on that man’s fingertip, to one day weigh almost a ton.

Especially the girl ones.

I bet they would get all out of sorts because they are short and they have virtually no tail whatsoever.

But, baby blue marlins have a job to do. And baby humans do too.

Baby humans enter the world with a purpose uniquely their own.

Your purpose, before finding your purpose, is to search for that purpose.

Purpose is found by being open to what you consistently like and enjoy. Notice what gives you positive energy and brings you a sense of fulfillment, because your purpose will most likely be within something you love. God would not give you a purpose in a realm that drains your zest for life or fills you with negativity.

Often purpose and what you are passionate about work in harmony, allowing for great productivity.

All you can do is learn yourself and know yourself. Get an education in a field that appeals to you or master a skill you love.

One purpose may lead you to a completely different one than you first intended, but don’t worry. Just remember the baby blue marlin. Doubt your doubts, but don’t doubt what God can do through you.

Amanda Walker is a columnist with The West Al. Watchman, Al.com, The Thomasville Times, and The Wilcox Progressive Era – https://www.facebook.com/AmandaWalker.Columnist.