The Spoken Word   "Finding a Niche"

                  Given by Lloyd D. Newell
                     February 15, 1998

          One of the most frustrating, but important,
          aspects of life's journey can be the search to find
          our place in this world. We all need to be
          needed. We want to serve, and we want to feel
          as though we've made a difference. We all
          know that we've been given talents, but too
          often we are at a loss as to how to use them.

          Perhaps we set our sights too high--hold
          ourselves to a standard beyond our capacity.
          The niche we find for ourselves may not
          necessarily be in the limelight. A talented
          basketball player can make a difference on the
          floor whether or not he or she ever plays
          professional basketball. A young musician may
          never become a Mozart, but he or she can still
          bless the world with the timeless gift of music.
          Sometimes it's enough to be a friend, listen
          sympathetically to a troubled heart, or offer
          encouragement when a neighbor is "having a
          bad day."

          One of the great challenges of parenting can be
          helping children find their own sense of purpose
          and hidden talents. A father was near despair
          over his sullen, uncommunicative teenage son.
          Day after day the boy sat in his room listening to
          music and playing endless games on his
          computer that, to the father, offered little sense
          of hope or joy. He tried involving his son in
          sporting activities and other excursions that he
          himself enjoyed--but to no avail. The boy
          seemed to have given up completely. Then, one
          day the father discovered a poem the boy had
          written. He didn't read much poetry and couldn't
          understand what his son was trying to
          communicate. But the wise father realized that
          perhaps this might be a gift his son could and
          should develop. Instead of criticism and
          rejection, he offered words of encouragement
          and was truly pleased when one of his son's
          poems was accepted for publication. Although
          the son's talents and interests were different
          from his father's, they shared the same need for
          acceptance and accomplishment.

          We owe it to ourselves to discover our talents
          and to find opportunities to share them. And we
          owe it to our family, friends, and neighbors to
          use our abilities in helpful ways. Even when we
          feel discouraged, lonely, or sometimes useless,
          we need to remember that God has given each
          of us great potential. We all have a place in life
          and in the lives of those we love.