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In recent weeks I have found myself participating in exercises (both conversational and written) that have really caused me to assess how engaged I might be in the passions of my life. Of course, the challenge sometimes is uncovering the exact nature of those passions.
As a man and a father, I have been wrestling with the concept of “what makes me tick.” Is this even important, and if it is, what kind of responsibility do I have in developing these areas? More importantly, to whom am I responsible? Should I (or we) be overly concerned with the areas of my life that invigorate me? This is especially poignant if our passions take us outside of our normal, everyday routines.
Through contemplation, prayer, and a good deal of Bible study, I have come to a couple of conclusions. The first being that I should be actively seeking and developing these areas of my life. As husbands and fathers, the responsibility to provide and bring our perceived notion of security to the family, is sometimes our only focus. However, if there is little or no attention paid to that which we gravitate towards, then we risk becoming frustrated with our circumstances.
Secondly, I believe that we have a responsibility to both our children and to God to pursue and develop our talents. For instance, my children need to see that dad has been gifted with certain abilities and that it is my responsibility to use them. If we believe that God has given us unique gifts and talents, then we should be relentless in deploying them, both inside and outside the church.
Finally, we need to integrate our talents in to our everyday lives. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that as fathers and husbands, we cannot often afford to leave our families behind when we seek the things we love. So, bring them along! Figure out how to weave your passions in to family activities. Give them a chance to be part of what you love. Although this may not always be possible, or beneficial for that matter, your wife and kids will appreciate the effort.
You never know, your influence may just lead your kids to pursue the passions God has given them instead of the things that society may expect of them.
Maintaining God-given priorities is a daunting task, especially when personal gratification is included in the mix. Often, we incorrectly label personal gratification found in recreation and pursuing discovered gifts and talents as a priority, mostly because we are passionate about them. Consequently, personal gratification in exercising gifts and talents has a tendency to become a top priority and thus jeopardizes the true and lasting personal joy found in our faithfulness to our God-given priority of relationships. You offer a great solution to an on going challenge by incorporating your desire to develop and exercise your gifts into your relationships and roles as: a man of God, husband, dad, churchman, and employee. Good job. Ed
I would agree. The idea, in its ideal form, would be to use your gifts (both spiritual and talent based) as a way to strengthen and uphold the overriding priorities in life. I would assert that our passion for these things would be lasting only in the event that they are rightly placed and in line with God's guidance and direction. Great insight!
Keagan, I agree with you completely. To often we spend more time cultivating the weak areas of our life all the while we ignore our strengths that clearly God has given us. Unfortunately in my own life I have allowed individuals to influence me negatively because they themselves do not pursue their talents or dreams. I firmly believe God places desires in our hearts that He wants us to seek after. If we are growing in our relationship with God by spending time with Him in prayer, godly fellowship, and feasting on His Word, the desires that we have are from Him. We can not continue to ignore what we love. One of the greatest criticisms of the church is that we are lifeless and overly ridged. I wonder what would happen if each of us chased after the passions that God has given us and used those passions as one of the primary avenues to further His Kingdom and introduce individuals to Jesus Christ. I wonder how our family dynamics would change if the parents felt the freedom to strengthen their God given talents and gifts without feeling like they are being selfish or ignoring their responsibilities. I know in my own family we have had to radically change our lifestyle so that we can continue to pursue our goals and callings. We may not have any material rewards to show for it but we absolutely have internal joy and satisfaction knowing that we are chasing the things that we believe matter most. I know so many people who are not able to say this. I am very blessed to be able to do what I long for. I want to help others feel the freedom to do so as well. Great post! Very thought provoking. (Max Stabenow)
Thank you for your thoughts Max. I think you hit on a very important piece of this equation and that is the fact that we often do not or cannot pursue the things that God has equipped us for because of our lifestyles. Unfortunately, our "things" begin to dictate what we can and can't do. Great example of the need for sacrifice if we are to be free to do what we love!