What’s your Passion? (Part 4: Sources)

“If there is no passion in your life, then have you really lived? Find your passion, whatever it may be. Become it, and let it become you and you will find great things happen FOR you, TO you and BECAUSE of you.” T. Alan Armstrong

Very few Christians have thought or learned about their “passion.” That’s unfortunate because passion is the very reason God put you on earth. Your passion is how God wants You to make a difference in the world – for Him.

A passion is a God-given attraction to someone or something that stirs your heart to action. Moses felt a deep desire to free the Israelites from captivity. Paul was driven to share the gospel where it had never been preached before. The poor and broken were never far from the heart of Mother Teresa. And for 60 years Billy Graham has desperately longed for people to come to Christ.

You may be thinking, “Wait a minute. All those people are famous. I’m just an ordinary person.” Well so were they until God stirred the “desires of the heart” to action. They cried out, “Someone should do something!” Guess what. THEY were the ones God had chosen to do something. Remember: You’re never ordinary when you serve an extraordinary God.

You see, your passion is part of who you are. It makes you – YOU. God embedded your passion in your heart when He created you. As your relationship with Christ deepens, He stirs up your passion and points you in the direction to fulfill it.

Often your passion is revealed through life experiences. There’s a reason God has allowed you to go through your experiences – the good, bad and ugly. Through experience you become sensitized to the needs of people and the world. Eventually you too will cry out, “Someone should do something!” Guess what. YOU are the person God has chosen to do something.

Your passion emerges from one of two sources. Sometimes it lies in positive experiences; other times it’s based on negative experiences.

First, your passion may flow out of your pleasure. You’ve had moments in life of pure ecstasy. These “mountaintop experiences” were so positive that you wish you could go through them again. Early on in his Christian life one friend benefited from a mentoring relationship with another man. Today my friend is involved in the men’s ministry at church. He’s always on the lookout for a person who may benefit from mentoring. Sound familiar?

Second, your passion may flow out of your pain. Everyone has gone through “valley experiences” – divorce, death of a loved one, financial setback, wayward child, etc. When it’s happening you just want the pain to go away. Later, when you begin to heal, you recognize that others are going through similar experiences. God whispers, “Why don’t you help them just like others helped you.” Another friend went through a bitter, protracted divorce. At the time she seemed on the verge of a nervous breakdown. But through the help of gifted Christian counselors, she slowly realized that life goes on. Today she’s a table leader in the Divorce Recovery ministry at church. Hmmm … that also sounds familiar.

What have been your life experiences? Has there been a mountaintop experience you’d like others to experience? Or have you gone through a valley experience you’d like others to successfully navigate? I hope your passion is already becoming clearer to you.

© 2011 Designed to Serve®