…when your passion, purpose, people, and place come together.
When we begin to discover and walk out our passion, I believe we will also find our purpose, our people, and our place.
All of these will converge into an explosion of radical joy in us and in our lives.
And this joy will overflow into the lives of others.
I think a lot about how we are all created for some ‘work’ here on this earth–some purpose. And the best way to find that purpose is to go where the LIFE is.
It makes me think of a metal detector that is in search for coins or other things of value.
It’s being moved back and forth and to and fro and sometimes it registers nothing.
BUT THEN…there is a small register.
A hint.
Like the still, small voice of God.
And we walk towards that small sound and it gets louder and louder as we walk towards what brings us life.
This is the definition of a metal detector: an electronic device that gives an audible or other signal when it is close to metal. Used, for example, to search for, and detect, buried and hidden objects.
I like the part about it finding buried and hidden objects.
{ Sometimes our gifts, talents, and purpose seem like they are deeply buried and very hidden. }
God wants us to discover them.
I am reminded of a story I read a long time ago in a book—or it may have been an article—oh how I wish I could find it to get all the details and give credit where credit is due.
Anyway, it was the story of a group of women who were meeting together regularly for the sole purpose of assisting each other in finding their own unique callings—something they loved.
One by one they were all helped through conversations, tests, and a discovery of their own preferences and passions. And each began to take steps in the direction in which they were led.
But there was one woman left who couldn’t seem to find ONE THING she was interested in. She became the total focus of the others. They named every vocation, all kinds of hobbies and causes, every single thing under the sun they could think of and she remained depressed and despondent.
** NOTHING even caused a flicker of interest for her. **
And then… one day…
I can’t remember why or how anyone even THOUGHT of it…
Someone said something about…get ready…
DOG SLEDDING!
These women were not close to any place that even had dog sledding. To come up with this idea means they were scraping the bottom of the barrel for ideas!
The despondent woman showed her flicker of interest. The women began blowing fast and furiously on that flicker—strange as it was!
“Despondent” thought it strange, too, and was resisting following this lead. How could she pursue such a thing from where she lived? And where would this interest lead? It seemed ridiculous.
But her friends would hear nothing of her resistance. They did some research and found where there was a class about learning how to dog sled and they signed her up and pooled their money to send her out for this adventure (to Alaska if I am remembering correctly) and to see if the flicker turned into a flame.
And, oh how it did.
“Despondent” was no longer despondent. She came alive as soon as she arrived. She loved the snow, the dogs, learning all about dog sledding. And she began intensely training. She started entering dog sled races. And this became her extreme passion. Her life!
I always remembered this story (at least I remember “the gist” of it—probably not getting all the details perfectly right) because of how she had no interest in anything at all until learning about this ONE THING!
{ She was so blessed to have a group of friends who were helping her in the quest. }
For me, as a Christian, I would hope that her passion led to her getting closer to God and to ministry—to her helping others– in some way. Passions almost always do that! Because with passion comes contagious enthusiasm!
I honestly can’t remember if this was even a book about finding God’s calling or if it was a vocational book. Of course, I believe they really go hand-in-hand. They are the same thing. But people who do not follow God—give their lives to Him—still have that same gift and passion in them. It’s how we are created. They just end up using it in other ways—not specifically to give God glory or to get closer to Him.
Anyway, the story encourages me that our passion could be a very narrow, unique one.
And we need to keep the metal detector (purpose and passion detector) moving until we find it.
We can keep it moving with prayer, and in stepping out and trying various things.
We must be just as diligent in this process as we would be if we knew there was treasure in the sands of a vast beach. If we were told there was a rare gold coin to be found, we wouldn’t give up even after hours of discovering nothing. So should it be as we go on this quest to discover our purpose.
So…get your detectors moving!
Maybe we should call them detectives? Purpose detectives! What a great new name for mentors and friends helping and encouraging us on our journey: Purpose Detectives!
I believe very strongly in having these encouragers (friends) along the way to help us in the discovery process. Because sometimes we have a hard time recognizing and seeing our own talents and passions.
Don’t give up.
Find your joy.
It might be found in the wag of a tail and speeding over snow…
BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS:
Just Do Something: A Liberating Approach to Finding God’s Will ~ Kevin DeYoung
48 Days to the Work You Love: Preparing For The New Normal ~ Dan Miller