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Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand (Proverbs 19:21, ESV).
My mission as a pastor has been helping others find their passion. Jesus felt the same, and He said, “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
Unfortunately, most believers don’t know their passion. One youth leader told me that only 1 in 5 teenagers can answer the question, “What’s your passion?” Recently, I read in a book recommended by Harvard Business Review, that “80% of people of all ages don’t really know what they are passionate about.” The author of this book went on to say, “Though many people talk about following their passion, most people are not passionate about finding their passion.”
If you want to find your passion, I have four suggestions…
- Find a need and fill it. When someone says to me, “I have a burden,” I tell them that it’s the first step toward a passionate and meaningful life. “They” have a burden, not an obligation from parents or a guilt trip on serving where a church needs them to serve. “They” see something, sense the Spirit, and can develop their Godly curiosity.
- Be deliberate. One author writes, “We don’t find a gift wrapped under a Christmas tree with the tag ‘Passion.’ We must try something, see if we enjoy it, and then become its master.” We don’t grow by sitting on the bench watching the action; we must get on the field and into the game. We experience pain upon finding what we can’t do well, but trying is the only way to discover our pearl of great purpose.
- Start over. We all develop directional bias and an unwillingness to admit failure, continuing to invest effort and resources and kicking the proverbial dead horse. One consultant indicated that it’s better to fail early than to experience success in an endeavor we have little passion about. Success doesn’t guarantee happiness, and it can be a trap robbing us of joy.
- Embrace the process. With a long-term project this week, I’ve made progress backward. I had to turn around and go back to the beginning, but of all the possible ways to go forward, I’m putting a “No Entry” barrier on that path. Imagine living without Penicillin, Super Glue®, microwave ovens, Post-It Notes®, safety glass, corn flakes, and for our children — Play-Doh®, all of which came from mistakes. We can add Coca-Cola®, rubber, Scotchgard®, the Slinky®, and potato chips. All these products originated from mistakes.
Supernatural things happen when we sync passion with purpose. People show up to help, resources develop, stuck doors open, and the impossible becomes entirely possible. Passion isn’t the nonsensical wanderings of a person who should settle down and make a living; it sidles up to anyone, at any time and any place, to breathe meaningful purpose into life.
And as for my backward walk and “No Entry” sign, I’ve started another path, and hopefully…