Have you ever known anyone who has suddenly stopped and changed direction? Maybe it’s you. I know that in my life I stopped the pursuit of a career in the theater and finally listened to God’s call to me to enter ordained ministry. It wasn’t a call, so much, to change direction, as it was a call to authenticity and commitment.

Today, though, I want to tell you about a friend of mine who did this. At the age of fifty, Marcy decided to change everything. She made the momentous decision to leave her job, her home, friends, family and career so she could study medicine so she could go to Central America and work among the poor. Yes, it seemed pretty drastic to us as well.

I mean, this woman was an artist. She was a painter, whose work sold in galleries for tens of thousands of dollars. Her l…