Passion, Interest, Talents…
What would it take for all three of these to combine and work together like clockwork?
What nucleus would it take to do that?
Right now if you were to ask anyone from the older generations like the Silent Gen or a Baby Boomer, “did their passion lead them towards God’s will?” or “what helped drive them toward their career path in life?”, most likely you would give you some kind of awkward look.
Let’s just take my dad for instance…
Growing up he loved to play sports, hanging out with his friends from school or going on those weekend dates with his girlfriend. But after high school, he started trying to figure out what he wanted to do in life. During this time, he had gotten married so the pursuit of life began going at a pace that he wasn’t sure he could keep up with -- at least when it came to those things he enjoyed doing. So what does a guy who is newly married and starting a family do? -- Go get a “good” job so you can pay the bills, of course. My dad became very good at his job, made enough money to keep the bills paid and every so often, take his family on a vacation.
This is life isn’t it? Going to college or starting a career -- to provide for your family, buy a house with a white picket fence and have the occasional fun adventure or vacation together while the kids grow up and go to school (just to start the same cycle over again?). I mean, wasn’t it called ‘chasing the American Dream’? Something the Pioneers would have loved to do instead of tracking through the West, building farms and working from sun-up to sundown in the fields.
For me it started out about the same. Grow up, go to school, enjoy sports, hanging out with friends, get a girlfriend, start a career, get married, have kids and all of a sudden, here we are on the path of life… almost without even realizing it. But for me, something just felt off. Especially once I made an intentional decision in my late 20’s to truly chase after a relationship with Jesus like I had never done before. It wasn’t until this moment, I started asking the question, “what is God’s will for my life?”
Now for me, I had a awesome life -- a great wife, home, kids, job/career but something still seemed to be missing… was I doing what God wanted me to do? This was a question I found myself asking over and over again.
Thankfully I had some great godly influences in my life to help me along the way but one day I just felt the Holy Spirit tell me to “sit still, listen and pray”. Once I began to slow down enough to hear God speak to me, He began to do so loud and clear. After reading a few books and searching scripture, I realized that as long as I was seeking Him, then He would begin to make my path straight -- and boy did He ever.
After I began to listen to HIs voice and pay attention to the things around me, He started leading me and my family on an amazing journey - that to others may seem as crazy, but for us, it feels so right.
So what is the secret to finding God’s will for your life (seeking Him, listening to His voice and ultimately doing His will)?
For me, I believe it consists of at least 3 different viewpoints;
What are you good at doing?
What do you enjoy doing?
What does the Bible tell us that pleases God?
Start by learning that what you are good at might not be the same thing as what you enjoy. But where does what you are good at and what you enjoy overlap? As we answer the third question, we know that it pleases God to seek and follow His commandments - which is loving Him and loving others. Then finally understanding that God’s most ultimate will is for people to come to the knowledge of the saving grace of Jesus Christ.
So now the question becomes, “Where can I find the point that my talents overlap my joy and then can intersect at a moment when I am loving God and loving others?” If we can ever find this POI/Common Point, you can be pretty confident that you have found yourself in ‘God’s will’ or at least headed in the right direction.
We can rest assured that anything done by faith, hope and love pleases God. If we work by faith, we work believing God is in it all. If we work by hope, we work with the expectation of what is to come is for Him. If we work by love, we know that God is glorified.
“These three things will last forever -- faith, hope and love -- and the greatest of these is love.” - 1 Corinthians 13:13
As we conclude this devotional, go back and read through 1 Corithians 13. Reflect on what we have discussed and as God to help show you where all 3 of the paths in life ultimately intersect for you.
Additional Scripture Readings: 1 Timothy 2:3-4; 1 Thessalonians 5:18; Hebrews 13:20-21; Luke 9:23; James 1:5
Ref: Experiencing God in College by Amy Seiffert