Don’t Worry About the Future: One Doctor Discovering Purpose as a “Bamboo Camel”

He recalls his friends and family being concerned with how he didn’t appear settled when it came to his career and purpose in life. Dr James told 96five he refers to this season of his life as “ascent” – 20 years of “wandering”, moving from one thing to the next, unsure of what it all meant.

“It was only when I began looking back through 40 years of journals that I’d been writing that I began to see that all of this was a part of the preparation. Everything that had happened through all of those changes all had a linkage and a purpose” he said.

In fact, Dr James realised that all the ventures, projects and jobs he had over the years uniquely prepared him for a period of purpose, described in his book as “crest:. He himself was uniquely and specifically designed for a purpose. He was, in fact, a “bamboo camel”.

“As I began looking at all the struggles that I’d been through, I realised that I had been made to endure,” Dr James said, much like the camel designed to survive harsh conditions or like the flexible and tough bamboo.

“Just focus on what God is asking you to do now. Don’t worry about what you might want to do tomorrow.”

“Just focus on what God is asking you to do now. Don’t worry about what you might want to do tomorrow,” – Dr Ross James

Despite his unconventional path to purpose while following the teachings of Jesus, Dr James wanted to encourage others, particularly young people, to not worry about what the future holds.

“I want people to be relaxed about their ‘call’ in life. Just focus on what God is asking you to do now. Don’t worry about what you might want to do tomorrow. Do well what you’re doing now, because God will open the doors and lead you through them.”

His memoir, Ascent, Crest, Perspective: The Making of a Bamboo Camel is available now.

Listen to the full interview with Dr Ross James in the audio player above.