Trust30 Challenge - Revisiting Day Three
That which each can do best, none but his Maker can teach him. Where is the master who could have taught Shakespeare? Where is the master who could have instructed Franklin, or Washington, or Bacon, or Newton? . . . Shakespeare will never be made by the study of Shakespeare. Do that which is assigned you, and you cannot hope too much or dare too much. – Ralph Waldo Emerson
Identify one of your biggest challenges at the moment (ie I don’t feel passionate about my work) and turn it into a question (ie How can I do work I’m passionate about?) Write it on a post-it and put it up on your bathroom mirror or the back of your front door. After 48-hours, journal what answers came up for you and be sure to evaluate them.
My Post-It Note question was "How can I stay both Passionate and Patient?" It's been 48 hours so it's time to revisit...
Although "quite reserved" on the outside at first glance, my life is driven by my passions. If I'm not passionate about something I don't tend to pursue it. This doesn't mean I just blindly follow my emotions or simply seek pleasure in everything I do. For me passion can be a long-term thing...in fact if passion is directed at the appropriate things the long term benefits can be mind-blowing. I've experienced this in my career, my wife, my kids, and now my God. I have to mention that when I passionately pursue myself (if that makes sense) then life falls apart.
My life these days is shaped by these passionate pursuits. After spending my life as a adamant and deliberate atheist who would only change his mind if shown verifiable proof of God's existence, I must admit that I have now seen proof that has eliminated all doubts. But the ironic thing is that first I believed, then I saw. And no, I wasn't brainwashed. But that pursuit of God has been very passionate and fulfilling. The fire burns hot, and it hasn't burned out.
The latest quest I've been on is to build a community of passionate believers. It sounds like a simple task living in the middle of the Bible belt. What I find repeatedly is that authentic community requires authentic people. This authenticity only comes with openness and trust which are things our culture seems to avoid. Many times it seems as though "Christians" I encounter have a "church mask" they wear when around me but they don't have that passion that I need to see reflected in the people around me. Church is somewhere they go out of habit. I so desperately want to see what happens when we get 8 to 10 people together that think about God more than they think about TV. How powerful would that be, how much could we change the world for the better? That's where I need patience.
The answer for me, like it often is, is perspective. My wife and I started dating over 20 years ago. To look back at how far we've come and what we've lived through is amazing. And it's not like looking at accomplishment like at an award ceremony...it goes much deeper than that. There is art in the process. Through the joy and the pain, underlying all of it, there is a larger picture being painted that goes beyond beauty. But the journey is as important as the destination. In fact, the journey never ends -- it's vital that we see it and appreciate it. Instead of looking forward to "someday" -- appreciate today. When it comes to the things I'm passionate about now, it's vital that I remember to lose myself in the journey, appreciating it every step of the way. I trust God. It takes time for lives to be shaped, my own as well as those around me. The process to this point has been a work of art, a beautiful tapestry that I could not have designed or predicted.
When I trust Him, He will weave my life into something beyond my wildest expectations. That's what I need to put on my new post-it note. That's what I need to see every day.
Although "quite reserved" on the outside at first glance, my life is driven by my passions. If I'm not passionate about something I don't tend to pursue it. This doesn't mean I just blindly follow my emotions or simply seek pleasure in everything I do. For me passion can be a long-term thing...in fact if passion is directed at the appropriate things the long term benefits can be mind-blowing. I've experienced this in my career, my wife, my kids, and now my God. I have to mention that when I passionately pursue myself (if that makes sense) then life falls apart.
My life these days is shaped by these passionate pursuits. After spending my life as a adamant and deliberate atheist who would only change his mind if shown verifiable proof of God's existence, I must admit that I have now seen proof that has eliminated all doubts. But the ironic thing is that first I believed, then I saw. And no, I wasn't brainwashed. But that pursuit of God has been very passionate and fulfilling. The fire burns hot, and it hasn't burned out.
The latest quest I've been on is to build a community of passionate believers. It sounds like a simple task living in the middle of the Bible belt. What I find repeatedly is that authentic community requires authentic people. This authenticity only comes with openness and trust which are things our culture seems to avoid. Many times it seems as though "Christians" I encounter have a "church mask" they wear when around me but they don't have that passion that I need to see reflected in the people around me. Church is somewhere they go out of habit. I so desperately want to see what happens when we get 8 to 10 people together that think about God more than they think about TV. How powerful would that be, how much could we change the world for the better? That's where I need patience.
The answer for me, like it often is, is perspective. My wife and I started dating over 20 years ago. To look back at how far we've come and what we've lived through is amazing. And it's not like looking at accomplishment like at an award ceremony...it goes much deeper than that. There is art in the process. Through the joy and the pain, underlying all of it, there is a larger picture being painted that goes beyond beauty. But the journey is as important as the destination. In fact, the journey never ends -- it's vital that we see it and appreciate it. Instead of looking forward to "someday" -- appreciate today. When it comes to the things I'm passionate about now, it's vital that I remember to lose myself in the journey, appreciating it every step of the way. I trust God. It takes time for lives to be shaped, my own as well as those around me. The process to this point has been a work of art, a beautiful tapestry that I could not have designed or predicted.
When I trust Him, He will weave my life into something beyond my wildest expectations. That's what I need to put on my new post-it note. That's what I need to see every day.
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