"My Passion is..."

My boys have been getting ready for a Science Fair this week. I discovered in the process that my passion is not science projects. They are definitely up there with my least favorite things to do. What is your passion? What do you love to do?

I have been reading a book recently that has been challenging me in the area of passion. It is called “Woman of Influence” by Pam Farrel. It’s one of my favorite books and a good read. Did you know that God has placed passions inside of us to do great things for Him? It’s a gift from God.

How do we discover that passion? Here is a great quote from the book: “When we seek to be intimately connected with Him (God), He will use the desires of our heart, the circumstances of our life, and His confirming Word to solidify and reveal our passion.” God uses everyday life and events to show us what He has created us to be and do for Him.

God has consistently used the circumstances I have faced in life to help me be able to identify and reach out to others. He is really good at taking bad situations and turning them around to bring good. We can allow the storms of life to make us bitter or better. Let me illustrate this for you.

My husband and I decided to wait five years after we got married to have a baby. We wanted to give our marriage and our children a strong foundation to stand on. When I finally got pregnant, my first pregnancy ended in four months with a miscarriage. It was very hard on us and the church we were youth pastors at, but God was faithful.

One night at a retreat I attended for Minister’s wives, God surprised me. While visiting a bathroom there, God put someone in my pathway. A lady miscarried her baby just as I entered the room. This had been one of several attempts to have her first child. I don’t think it was by chance I was there. It was a divine appointment. I was able to at that moment pray with the lady and comfort her from my open wounds. God planted a passion in me through experiences like this to love and minister to hurting women.

God has filled my heart with many passions over the years. I have a passion for discipling and helping people grow in their walks with God. I love to teach, write, and mentor others. My heart is blessed when I see lives changed. I am very passionate about my family. I want to be intentional and purposeful about raising my boys up in the ways of God. I also want to build a solid relationship with my husband that lasts the storms of life. All of these passions have grown through me seeing a lack in my life or others, experiences I have faced, or dreams God has placed in my heart.

I want to use my life to make an impact on others. I want my words and actions to count for something. I don’t want my life to be wasted on meaningless things. I want to live to make an impression and imprint on the hearts of those I meet for God. What do you have a passion for? Where do your daydreams take you? What breaks your heart? What do you talk about most? What so beats in your heart that if it were to vanish, you would no longer be you?

God has placed a passion inside of you that is uniquely for you and you have the joy of discovering that. Another great quote from the book is this… “God is the master of calling the unlikely to do the impossible. Out of pain he creates a platform.” What could God do with the pain you have faced in your life? How could He turn it around and use it for good? What impossible things could God do in and through your life?

I pray God would unleash His passion in your life for whatever it is He has designed you to do. For Mother Theresa it was a heart for helpless orphans, for Billy Graham it was reaching hurting people, for Beth Moore it was creating Bible study materials to help women grow closer to God. What is it for you? What is God birthing within you to do for Him? He will use the circumstances of life, the desires of our hearts, and His Word to confirm it. I’m excited to hear all about what He has in mind for you!

Living to leave a legacy,
Julie