Hearing my mom’s voice fill the room with this announcement always made my heart jolt and the hairs on the back of my neck stand straight up. I always knew that trouble approached and raked my mind to remember my latest transgression. Check here for Passions USED and Passions DISCOVERED!
Relax, that’s not the type of “What are you doing?” that I’m discussing today. The one I’m bringing up also isn’t the conversational “Whatcha doin’?” My topic lies in between those two.
When I worked as a camp counselor, one of my co-counselors would ask, “How ARE you?” every time he greeted someone. But he wouldn’t just pass and look away. He was seriously asking and expectant of an answer.
That’s the question I’m asking!
Thinking back to my Thursday post a couple of weeks ago about the passions that the Lord lays on hearts, and last weeks post about how God uses those passions brings up this topic.
A few years ago, I spent most of my days scrapbooking, planning crafting retreats, teaching paper crafts to children and card-making at a retirement center. I had a strong client base and sold out most of my classes, workshops, and especially my retreats. And I enjoyed it. Made a lot of new friends.
But my mom threw a monkey wrench in my expectations when she asked me what I’d be doing if I had no constraints on time and money. I told her I’d be writing. I actually surprised myself. I knew I’d always loved writing, but I felt content where I was. My mom wasn’t surprised, though, and challenged me to start doing what I loved, despite the issues of time and money.
As I started writing more, I found more love for it. Took notepads to volleyball games just in case an idea came up. Kept a recorder on my passenger seat in case an idea came up as I drove. I found some alternatives for my scrapbooking business and began writing at any spare moment I could find during the day.
I have no real ending to this story, yet. I have published a couple of items and have great hope of more, but my sweet hubby puts this journey in perspective for me. “You might be in this career to publish. Or you might be in it to learn and help others.” And I don’t know why I’m in this place, yet, but I’m positive that I’m here by God’s leading.
Then there’s this article from my dear boy on his blog about a passion that has hit his heart. What you might not know is that my boy is about to graduate with a chemistry degree. Yet he has a passion for helping people, doing manual labor, and will be making his third trip to Honduras, the day after his graduation, to help build a school in a little village there. Last time he went, he lugged cement bags, mixed cement, and laid a foundation. And had an absolute blast doing it! Go figure!
So after analyzing your passions and recognizing that God has placed those desires on your heart for a purposes (provided you are delighting in Him!), what are you doing? How are you engaging your passions. If God didn’t want you to utilize the desires in your heart, He wouldn’t have placed them there! Are you taking advantage of every opportunity? Or are you still wishing you had a chance to do something you really love?
At the risk of sounding like a 60’s hippie, what are you waiting for? (And I’m speaking about true passions that you know the Lord is giving you.) Now is the only chance you can be sure of.
Okay, I’ll put my pom poms down. Just be encouraged that the Lord didn’t place a deep desire in your heart to say, “Ha-ha, can’t have it.” The desire is there because He wants to use it in some way for His glory, and your joy. “Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.” Colossians 3:17
May the Lord facilitate your opportunities to use the talents and desires He’s given you.
Marji Laine 