What is My Passion?

"May He give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed." - Psalm 20:4 (NIV)

What am I passionate about? What excites me and brings me joy? Sunday morning serving in the nursery with 2 1/2 to 3-year olds. Getting and keeping their attention during story time when I'm teaching them something out of the Bible. I especially love it when they can answer questions about the Bible story! Traveling with family and friends. Going to Disneyland with my children & grandchildren. Shopping for other people, especially children. Seeing the faces of the person or persons I'm gifting to when they open the package. Spending quiet time with my husband. Get-togethers with friends. Going to small group. Going to church. Volunteering. All of these things bring joy and excitement to me. What do they have in common?

Other people. As I'm seeking God's purpose for my life, what I'm finding is that I desire to be around others. Serving them, helping them, teaching them - DOING for them. I love to volunteer - whether it's to serve at church or church functions or at something that has nothing to do with church. I serve in the nursery pretty much every Sunday and it doesn't grow old. I love the kids and I love the other Servant Ministers who serve with me. Tomorrow evening and Friday morning, Dennis & I are volunteering as hosts at the 24/7 Prayer Event at church. I volunteered to help at the women's Regenerate conference in September. We volunteered at MLB FanFest this past summer. I'm not saying all this to toot my own horn, but to point out to myself that each of these opportunities to volunteer - to help - brought me great joy and excitement.

I'm also passionate about spending fun time with family and friends. Whether it's Disneyland, camping, shopping, going to the park, going out to eat, small group, playing games, just sitting around talking or quietly watching a movie, I feel full and content when I'm doing these activities with others. I'm finding my passion is all about others. I feel blessed and closest to God when I'm doing these activities. Why? I believe it's because it takes the focus off of me and places it on someone else.

So how do I find God's purpose for me in my passion? How do I get the desires of my heart? Psalm 37:4 (NIV) tells me exactly what I need to do: "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart." Put God first, in all that I do, delighting in Him and His Son, and the Bible promises He will show me His purpose for my life and He will make me successful at it!! Seems I delight in being with and serving other people, to stop thinking about myself and my life. I desire to serve, to volunteer, to make people smile, to lift them up and encourage them. Just thinking about doing that brings me joy. I think I'm on my way to finding my purpose!!

Are you still wondering what God's will is for your life? For what purpose did He create you? Then figure out what you're passionate about. Ask yourself, "What is my passion?" It may just lead you down the road to finding His purpose for you!! 

"I don't know about you, but I want to do more than survive life - I want to mount up like the eagle and glide over rocky crags, nest in the tallest of trees, dive for nourishment in the deepest of mountain lakes, and soar on the wings of the wind." - Barbara Johnson

Dear Lord, thank You for this verse. Thank You for focusing my mind on what I'm passionate about as I seek Your purpose for my life. I desire to seek You and delight in You and Your Beloved Son first and foremost each day. Teach me to see each day as another opportunity to ignite my passion for You and for Your purpose. Your will be done and not my own. In Jesus' Precious name I pray, Amen.