Thursday, October 3, 2013

Purpose and Passion

I really like chocolate chip cookies.
I really like to run.
I really like to go shopping and find the cutest thing at Target.. or Gap.. or Loft. (There may be a problem here.)
I really like to eat good food. - really good food.
I really like to travel.
I really like my family.

My typical day consists of work and then time at the gym followed by cooking dinner and/or spending time with friends.  Pretty boring, huh?  My average day looks to lack a lot of passion.  I've thought on several occassions about my passions in life and have come up empty-handed.  I like all of those things listed above, but there are only a few things that bring such enthusiasm and excitement.  This is how my pal, Merriam Webster defines passion.

My purpose in this world is to bring glory to God and to live for Him.  This plays out in my decisions of how I interact with others, where and how I spend my time, how I take care of myself, how I talk to others, and how I think of myself etc.  This plays out in my decisons and moral and ethics.  And I fail miserably y'all at living completely to this end.  But there is grace, oh plenty of grace for that!  I have realized lately (as a result of continusouly thinking on passion and purpose) that I so desperately want my purpose in life to be my passion.  I want to live a life that is enthusiastic and devoted to living for the glory of God.  I want to wake up each morning with a passion to live for Him.  There may be a gasp out there, but I'll be the first to admit that I don't wake up every morning thinking on how I'm going to live for the Lord today. But I do want to live with that purpose.

This is what I know.  I know that God is glorified most when I am living for him.  I know that He is glorified when I love others just as He loves them.  I know He is glorified when I seek to serve others rather than serving myself.  I know that He is glorified when I dress in a manner that is modest and respecting myself and guarding the thoughts of men.  I know that He is glorified when I am eating in a manner that is not excessive or too little but is enough (Just right, like Goldilocks) for the energy I need each day to do what He would have for me to do. I know that He is glorified when I rest.  I know that He is glorified when I do not spend countless amounts of time scrolling the Newsfeed.  I know that He is glorified when I become less, and He becomes more.  I know that He is glorified when He is the first one I turn to in times of fear, doubt, worry, misunderstanding, confusion, heartache, joy, excitement, praise.  I know that He is glorified when I choose to look in the mirror less and focus on my flaws but instead praise Him for how He has created me.  I know that He is glorified when I rely on Him for my strength.  I know that He is glorified when I choose to put aside television or websites or magazines that tear me down rather than pushing me to Him.  I know that He is glorified when I understand and appreciate the sufficiency of His grace.

What started off as a somewhat saddening tale - no passion.. no desire to play sports or paint a picture or stand on the lines of political activism - turned into a sweet little journey.  Our passions can be all over the place.  We can be passionate about a lot of things.  But my passion is Him.  I want to live for the Lord.


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