A new direction

In 1791, Pastor Jedidiah Morse and his wife, Elizabeth, had their first child, Samuel. A brilliant young man, Samuel attended Yale and studied religious philosophy, mathematics and science. Despite not focusing on art in college, he was later admitted to the Royal Academy of Arts in England, where he admired Renaissance art and was emotionally moved by Michelangelo and Raphael’s work.

While attending the Royal Academy, Samuel perfected his painting technique. Eventually, he became an established painter, earning a considerable reputation and seemingly poised to enjoy the life of a successful artist. Upon returning to America, he was appointed the first professor of painting and sculpture at what is now New York University. Ironically, in 1822, he painted a portrait of the famous inventor, Eli Whitney.

Despite his blossoming career as an artist, Samuel’s most outstanding achievement was in another field. Upon returning by ship from Europe in 1832, the young artist met Charles Thomas Jackson, an expert in electromagnetism. That seemingly coincidental meeting would prove significant, for Samuel quit working on the canvas he had been painting to devote his time to developing a single-wire telegraph.

It would take more than 10 years and additional help from chemist Leonard Gale, plus a $30,000 grant from Congress, before he would send this famous message from Washington, DC, to Baltimore on May 24, 1842, “What hath God wrought.” Samuel Morse’s career change did more than alter his life; it also changed the way we communicate and served as a catalyst for other scientific advancements.

Several people in scripture experienced their own career changes and were then used by God in amazing ways. Moses grew up as an adopted son of Pharaoh but eventually helped liberate God’s people from Egypt. David was a young shepherd before becoming Israel’s most famous king. However, as Kenneth Peterson noted in his Sept. 2, 2025, Our Daily Bread Devotional, “Probably the most dramatic biblical account of ‘career change’ was that of Saul, who was ‘breathing out murderous threats’ against believers in Christ (Acts 9:1)… Saul did a U-turn in his life and assumed a new identity in Christ as the apostle who would eventually spread the gospel wherever he went.”

I do not know how you currently earn a living, or whether it is what God wants you to continue doing in the future. I am confident of this, however, God’s path for our lives is better than any career we might choose. Samuel Moris’ past success as an artist is not what defined him, and our past success may not define us either, but should God redirect our lives, it only makes sense that, as Peterson wrote, we will “…do well to stop what we’re doing and follow our new orders.” Despite our reluctance to go in a new direction, God’s plan for our lives is always better than our own.