What Physical Therapy, Chalkboards, and Headbands All Have In Common.

If you're wondering what physical therapy, chalkboards, and headbands all have in common, the answer is absolutely nothing. Except for the fact that all three are important in my life right now.

I know it sounds weird to say headbands and chalkboards are important in my life.  It sounds weird, even to me. But what I've begun to realize is that God puts things in our lives to enjoy and to use to bring Him glory.

It just so happens that God's using those three things, no matter how different they each are, to teach me about the beauty in the passions He places in our lives, big or small.

As I was telling someone today, physical therapy has been what I wanted to do as a career since I can remember. As a freshman in high school, I had an ankle injury in basketball that required therapy and I remember telling my own PT at the time that I wanted to do physical therapy when I graduated. I have absolutely no idea where my first exposure to the field came from, but looking back I'm certain that desire came straight from the Lord.

In May I will have been out of PT school for two years and practicing at a job that I love for that same amount of time. Somedays I still catch myself thinking, "Is this really my life? How did I get so lucky to have a career that I love so much?" The truth is, luck had nothing to do with it.

I put in a lot of hard work, dedication, tears and laughter to reach my dream of being a PT and now I'm getting to live that out as my daily reality. But no matter how much hard work I put in, I couldn't have done it without the strength of a God who had plans bigger than I could imagine.

Long before I even really understood it, he was writing that dream, that passion on my heart and He was using circumstances and people in my life to prepare me to live out that dream today. In the two years that I've been practicing, I've met countless people and I've had the unique opportunity to be a part of each of my patients lives as they work towards healing in whatever form is appropriate. Sometimes being there, being such a vital role in the process is overwhelming and often brings tears and laughter, but even with the trials and heartaches at times, it's worth it to be living out something I love so much.

Sometimes I meet a patient that catches me totally by surprise for one reason or another and it's in those moments that I know God has me where he wants me. And that alone makes getting up and going to work every day worth it.

Now you're probably thinking, where do the chalkboards and headbands come  in? And I'm about to tell you. During my three years of PT school, there was little time for anything besides studying and there certainly wasn’t time for a hobby. At least not for me. Those three years seemed to drag on forever; when I wasn't in class, I was studying, and when I wasn't studying, I was in class.

Now I'm two years out of PT school, and there are still times I catch myself thinking there's something I need to be doing, something I need to be working on, or studying for. I'm always overjoyed when I realize there isn't. But once I finally grasped the concept of being out of school, I quickly realized I needed something to do to occupy my time.

Pinterest alone is a great time waster but it also gave me plenty of ideas for projects to tackle. And maybe somewhere in there I got the idea to start making chalkboard signs. The first one I made was for my niece's birthday, it was a huge hit (as big a hit as a chalkboard at a 1-year-olds birthday party can be) and the rest is sort of history. "Dirt Road Designs" was born,the headbands recently followed and I've ended up with this little side business that I absolutely love.

Whether it's the chalkboard signs, the headbands, or refinishing an old piece of furniture, I've realized that I absolutely love the creating process. And even more than that, I love presenting someone with something that's unique and special to them. I've always said I show love through giving gifts, it's one of my favorite things to do, and this allows me to do that on a regular basis.

Quite simply put,God has used headbands and chalkboards to instill a new passion in my life right now for creating pieces that are important to those receiving them. When I look at those two things in the whole grand scheme of life, headbands and chalkboards mean absolutely nothing but God has taught me that He can create blessings even in the little things. That's what these chalkboards and headbands have become for me. If I can brighten one person's day with a sign or even a headband then I did what I set out to do.

Now I say all of that to say this to you- whatever your passions, big OR small, live them out. Pursue them wholeheartedly and trust God that if he laid those passions on your life, He will be faithful to use those.

God can use absolutely anything to bring himself glory. He can use physical therapy or he can use a chalkboard sign and he works through different things in each of our lives at different seasons. That's what makes us each unique and that's what makes life fun and interesting.

I think we live in a society today that begs for every person to fit in, to look like everyone else, dress like everyone else, act like everyone else. And that's a boring life if you ask me. God created each of us to be unique with our own passions and loves that are important to accomplishing His will, in our lives and others. Don't be afraid to live that out and to be different. The God of the universe created you to be you and no one else can live out the job he gave you.

Take some time today and look at your life, look at your passions, look at those things God has placed in your life. Then go out and pursue them. No matter how big or small they seem to you, God can and will use them. It may be in the most unexpected way, but if God gave you those passions, then he has a plan to use them in your life for His glory. So share your passions with those around you every chance you get! You never know when it might be a blessing someone needed