"Vocation at Age 40" by Jacob Gapko
On November 15, 2017, Jacob Gapko turned 40! We invited him to speak at worship, and followed up with a birthday party. Here is the text of his reflection. Vocation at Age 40—Jacob Gapko My vocational path or calling has been a winding road. It all began when I was baptized as an infant and freed from sin and death. Baptism transformed me and my body into a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God and gave me the freedom to live without trying to earn God's favor through works. My gift of curiosity and asking questions, however, my have dismayed my Sunday school teachers with my militant belief in science as everything—I don’t think I displayed much faith until my teenage years. When I was three years old I was diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) and, by my teen age years, I knew that my disease would likely shorten my lifespan. When I was 15, I asked my parents what might seem an odd question, "Do you think I will live to be 29 years old?"