Exploring Your Passions

Passion exploring:

First of all, don’t get hung up on the word “passion.”   It is a convenient label to use for our purpose, but other terms can be substituted.  If it will make you more comfortable, use the term “interest” instead of “passion.”

Whatever your passion is, it needs to be submitted to a two-fold test:  Does it glorify God?  Does it edify others?   Psalm 37:3 – 4; John 15:7; Matt 15: 21 – 28

The following questions may help you find an area of passion, or at least, strong interest.

1)      What do you find most meaningful?

2)      What kinds of things are you doing?  What topics are you involved in, in which you loose track of time?  When you are moving in the direction of your passion, time can easily slip away.  Our passion can make us less aware of what is going on around us, because we are so focused on what we care about the most.  What might that be?

3)      Your passion will energize you.  Not only will you become more alive emotionally, but the activity or thoughts about your passion will actually give you energy.  This is God’s way of moving you toward those people, roles or causes that are His created agenda for your life.  His will for you is partly revealed in your God-given passion.  What energizes you?

4)      Imagine that you and I are meeting for the first time.  In the course of our conversation, we talk about a variety of topics.  Then we turn to a new subject.  As you are talking to me, you start speaking a little faster.  You lean forward.  You become increasingly animated.  Your voice goes up a little.  Your passion may be indicated by more active body language.  You are talking about a subject that could keep you up late at night.  It’s the topic that would cause you to jump out of bed in the morning.  What are we talking about?

5)      Sometimes our dreaming or reflection allows us to imaginatively explore the desire of our heart.  In these times, we may visualize or fin ourselves being drawn as if by a current toward something that heightens our feelings and enlarges our capacity for action.  The image that we see will hit an emotional chord.  When you are alone, do you ever wonder, “What if…?”  Does your response to that question create emotional energy?  What is it?

6)      Make a list of your greatest achievements, but be sure they are things you enjoyed doing.  These achievements may be accomplishments that others do not find particularly impressive, but are important to you.  (Conversely, you may have achieved Student of the Year, but to you it was not that big of a deal, or you did not enjoy the process of earning it.)   Are there similarities in your list?  What themes can you see?