What's your gift for success?

Do you feel you have nothing to offer? Like you've been rejected so many times that you've lost count? Allow me to share a story of a little boy, Teddy, who experienced an unbelievable amount of failure yet refused to give up his desire.

School was difficult for Teddy. He flunked every subject in the eighth grade. While in high school, he earned a zero in physics. He flunked other subjects too -- Latin, English and algebra. Sports were not his forte either. He made the golf team but then lost the most important match. So much for golf, he decided.

If you're wondering if girls liked Teddy, he didn't know. No one else knew how he fared with women because he never asked a girl out in school. He was afraid they would say no and he would feel rejected again. He was an all-around social misfit. However, people didn't necessarily dislike Teddy. Actually, he just didn't seem important enough for students to pay attention to. Teddy realized he was a loser and tried not to worry too much about it. But he took the attitude that things would turn out the way they should.

Teddy loved to draw and create cartoon characters. He even thought the school yearbook would publish some of his cartoons, but that idea didn't work out either. His drawings were, of course, turned down. People didn't respect his work. Yet even though he was rejected, Teddy was still sure he had talent so he decided become a professional artist.

Eventually, after finishing high school, Teddy wrote a letter to Walt Disney Studios. They asked him to send some samples of his drawings, and Disney suggested a topic for a cartoon. Teddy attempted to draw what they asked for. He spent a lot of time on the project, trying to get everything just right. Finally Disney Studios replied -- telling him they couldn't use his work. His efforts had been unappreciated yet again. Once more Teddy had failed. One would think he would give up, right?

Not so with Teddy. Instead he decided to write his own life's story in cartoons. He described a little boy who was a failure -- treated like secondhand merchandise. He drew himself, Teddy. But this cartoon character soon became famous.

Teddy, "the boy who experienced such a lack of success in school and whose work kept getting rejected over and over, was Charles Schulz. He created the Peanuts comic strip and the little cartoon character whose kite would never fly and who never succeeded in kicking a football -- Charlie Brown," according to an article in Bits and Pieces Magazine.

Learning about the negative responses and rebuffs toward Charles Schultz brought tears to my eyes because, if not ourselves, we all know someone who's been left out and experienced a life of rejection. One wonders from where Schultz's fortitude and persistence came, but failure is often the catalyst for success. Listen to your heart, feel your desire and go for it!

Everyone has a unique quality no one else possesses. We simply need to find what it is. Corinthians 12:11 emphasizes that "the one and same Spirit produces all gifts and distributes them 'individually to each person' as He wishes."

Charles Schultz is an example of keeping on until we find out what it is we're meant to do. Not everyone attains worldly fame, but fulfillment is usually more important. Look for the gift you can claim. Persevere and, with God's help, make your wishes happen. For some, talents are evident, but for others it can take a lifetime to discover their gift.

What's most significant is that we refuse to give up, recognizing it's vital that we ignore negative thoughts and especially negative people. Like Schultz, we have to believe in ourselves. Determine to learn from Charlie Brown in dealing with your disappointments and discover and attain your dreams.

Ellen Shuck holds degrees in psychology, religious education and spiritual direction and provides spiritual direction to people at her office.