A couple of weeks ago I was on an access road in north Berkeley heading toward San Pablo Avenue. As I prepared to merge into the right lane to turn onto San Pablo I quickly had to turn my head to catch a glimpse of something in a large, fenced-in vacant lot. It was two wild turkeys! I couldn’t believe it. Not only did they seem unusual but they were so out of place, surrounded by California landscape including several palm trees and a growth of a variety of plants. The lot was also next to the water, so my first thought was, what are wild turkeys doing on the shores of the East Bay?
Have you ever felt out of place? Like a square peg in a round hole? Like a turkey in a vacant urban lot? Like you aren’t a real fit for the traditional roles of society or the church?
Questions like, who am I, and where do I fit in the scheme of life are especially common among young adults exploring their gifts and abilities, checking out the job and career market and working toward their educational goals. Some individuals seem to know instinctively from childhood who they are, what they are going to pursue, and how they can successfully fit into society. Examples of this would include professional athletes and actors. It is likely that a famous quarterback or the star of a TV drama discovered early how he or she was specifically built to do this one thing.
But not everyone naturally feels they fit in the career boxes that society has to offer them. There are many people out there who are talented, bright and capable but for some reason still feel “out of place.” They are not sure what career path to pursue in life. And sometimes are afraid to make decisions, fearing they will make the wrong choice.
Leonardo da Vinci is an example of one of the most talented, brilliant personalities in history who never quite fit into one mold. He is most noted as an artist for his painting, the Mona Lisa. However, Leonardo didn’t settle on a neat career path. He was a much more complex, multidimensional character than someone viewing his painting might assume. In How to Think like Leonardo da Vinci, Michael J. Gelb describes Leonardo’s aptitude for almost everything. He was an inventor, a skilled engineer, musician, scientist and philosopher to name only a few. He invented forerunners of the tank, the parachute, and the helicopter. His design for the extendable ladder is still used by fire fighters to this day. The most amusing feature of Leonardo’s personality was his reputation as a great party planner, drawing on his outstanding skills as a cook and his knack for decorating.
Leonardo did it all. He was Dr. Everything. So he failed to squeeze into any one category, refusing to be limited because he was fascinated by so many things.
Although no one may ever begin to match Leonardo’s genius, he is an encouragement to people everywhere who have trouble focusing on one interest and so feeling they are in the right place.
For example, Leonardo didn’t always complete what he started. His painting, the Last Supper, still awaits finishing touches from its creator’s hand, but is considered a masterpiece nonetheless. While no employer will be impressed if you skip a day at work to finish your oil painting, creative people sometimes find it difficult to stifle one project in order to complete the last few nagging details of another. And they pay the price.
So enjoy who God made you to be. If you are a multifaceted, creative person who loves to be involved in more than one challenge, that’s a good thing. Don’t be discouraged by your own creativity even if sometimes you feel like a turkey in an urban landscape. The Apostle Paul offers some insight for those who live by comparison with others: “if they measure themselves by one another and compare themselves with one another, they are without understanding” (2 Co. 10:12 ESV). God has a remarkable plan for your life that includes using all of your gifts and talents. Enjoy them.
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