Do what you love and love what you do.
The message never gets old and if you’re around me for any length of time you’re going to hear it over and over. Ask what makes you come alive and go do that!
My question to you: Why would you do anything else? Why would you want to simply exist when you could live life abundantly? It’s a valid question for every facet of your life: job, home, church, friends.
It sounds so simple — and, seriously, it is — but it is amazing what happens when you are in the wheelhouse where your passion thrives. It’s the difference between being content and happy, between having a full cup and one that is overflowing.
“Passion is the spark for your fuse,” John Mason says. “One person with passion makes a greater impact than the passive force of ninety-nine who have only interest.”
It’s not enough to just be in the right ballpark, you need to find the right seat! If you’re still searching for the right seat, here are suggestions on narrowing down the section, row and specific seat.
Do not feel condemned if you can’t seem to get out of the rut. Condemnation keeps you in the rut, but praise gives you a hope and a future. When you feel condemnation, start to remind yourself of these things.
- I am the head and not the tail. (Deuteronomy 28:13).
- I will be at the top, never at the bottom. (NIV).
- No weapon formed against me shall prosper. (Isaiah 54:17).
- He has provided me with a hope and a future. (Jeremiah 29:11).
It’s time to end your layover and find your passion. Don’t walk around the ballpark aimlessly. Get out of the rut and go where the peace is.
Fifty years ago, Americans came together.
It was a moment in time that the world watched together. If you were around then, you watched as Walter Cronkite narrated the pictures beaming back to earth as if it was Christmas morning.
Americans had won the race to the moon and everyone watched anxiously and restlessly as Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin directed their spaceship to the surface of the moon, then stepped out onto the lunar surface.
The trip culminated a dream of a president, whose goal and deadline set into motion thousands of people working on a singular mission.
America must revisit the passion, unity and mission that our elders keenly understood. To do that, however, Americans must recognize and understand that We Are Americans First.
It means putting aside differences and pride, acknowledging the mission is tantamount and refusing to compromise principle while bending on preference. Men landed on the moon in 1969 because prevailing minds put aside their preferences and focused on the mission at hand.
Politicians, pastors, businessmen and leaders of all sorts would do well to study that process and take heed.
Finally, this Sunday, you must have hope.
Today more than ever, hope must be part of your life. It gives you the strength to reach for tomorrow and the power to drive you to the next challenge.
Without hope, you have no future. Without hope, you’re stuck in the muck and mire. Without hope, the sickness, failure, rejection and fear will remain your world.
Yet, as long as there is life, there is hope. In his book, The Hope Quotient, pastor Ray Johnston says: “…when you have hope, anything is possible.” Further, he expounds:
- Hope liberates. Hope releases you from your past.
- Hope motivates. Hope helps you bounce back.
- Hope initiates. Hope sets you free to dream.
- Hope activates. Hope is the fuel that makes the world a better place.
You can’t give up as long as you have hope. It’s a never-say-die attitude and it’s contagious.
Discouragement and despair are destructive and deadly tools. Hope is the antidote and the cure. That’s why one of the greatest gifts you can pass on to a friend, a co-worker, a family member or someone you care about is the gift of hope.
Keep the candle burning. Pass on hope this week!
Yes!