A Peek Into Your Passion with a Purpose!

One of my favorite scenes from the 1981 movie “Chariots of Fire” is when Harold Abrahams and his date, singer Sybil Gordon, are discussing their careers. Harold asks Sybil, “Why singing?”

She replies, “It’s my job.” Then she corrects herself saying, “No, that’s silly—I do it because I love it.”

What is it that you love so much you’d do it regardless of whether or not it was your job?  What is your all-consuming hobby?  What is your passion?

For me, it’s writing.  For Sybil, it was singing.  For Eric Liddell and Harold Abrahams, it was running.  The Eric of “Chariots of Fire” said:

“I believe that God made me for a purpose—for China—but He also made me fast. And when I run I feel His pleasure.  To give it up would be to hold Him in contempt.”

Each autumn at YLCF, we take a peek into each other’s lives.  Our annual blog carnival has shown us what a typical day in our homes looks like, and we’ve talked about how we organize our weeks.  And this year?  We want to know what your passion is.  But we don’t just want to know the ins and outs of your favorite hobby—but the purpose for which you know God gave it to you.

Writer Jeff Goins says:

“Passion divorced from purpose is dangerous.”

Do you know the purpose of your passion?

Going back to “Chariots of Fire,” Eric’s father encouraged him:

“You can praise God by peeling a spud if you peel it to perfection… Run in God’s name and let the world stand back in wonder.”

Though he knew he was also called as a missionary to China, the real Eric Liddell learned that part of God’s purpose for him was to run fast, in God’s name.

“Did not God grant him special gifts that He intended to be used? As long as he remembered that the purpose of athletic success is to show forth the glory of God’s power, Eric decided that competitive running was a good vehicle for him to serve God. Later, Eric never doubted that joyful competitive running would honor God and serve his call to be a missionary in China.”
–God’s Joyful Runner, by Russell W. Ramsey, page 35

What is part of God’s purpose for you?  How has He gifted you?  What passion has He given you the talents and skills for?

Do you use your computer skills to aid non-profit ministries?  Maybe you cook meals for families with sick loved ones.  Does your photography shed light on a misunderstood subject?  Perhaps, like Eric Liddell, God has given you superior talent in an area of sports or music with which to bring glory to Him.  Or it could be that your passion is less physical and more relational.  Maybe God has given you a love for people and a gift for counseling.  Have your teaching skills enabled you to lead a Sunday school class?  Perhaps you have a heart for teens and mentor young girls.  What is it you love to do for Him?

Throughout the month of October, we’ll be featuring posts sharing the purposeful passions of the YLCF Team Members, as well as a variety of guest writers.  And on October 28, we’ll be hosting the blog carnival link-up, “A Peek Into Your Passion with a Purpose”, where you can share about your passion and the purpose you put it to.

Each participant will be entered in a drawing for a variety of prizes, which we’ll be announcing on our Facebook page throughout the month.  Be sure to “like” us on Facebook to find out about all the fun giveaways to aid you in pursuing your passion!

Read on for details on how to participate (if you don’t have a blog, never fear—you can join in on October 28 in the comment section).

Join in the Fun:

• Write a post on your blog during the month of October about your passion with a purpose.  Feel free to illustrate with photos of what you love to do!
• Be sure to mention the carnival and link back to YLCF (feel free to use the button code below).
• Come back here on October 28 and share the link to be entered in the giveaways.
• Any blog post, Tumblr, LiveJournal, or Facebook note can be submitted in the link-up.
• No blog? Prepare a comment (that’s at least 300 words long) for the October 28 carnival post, and when you comment you’ll be entered in the giveaway, as well.

Spread the Word:

• Put the blog button on your blog or website sidebar:
  <a href="http://ylcf.org"><img title="A Peek Into Your Passion at ylcf.org" alt="A Peek Into Your Passion at ylcf.org" src="http://ylcf.org/images/peekintopassion.jpg"></a>
• Tell friends about it on Facebook and Twitter (mention @YLCF so we can see and re-tweet your Tweets).

Thanks once again to our talented photographer, Jennifer Pinkerton, and amazing graphic designer Abigail Westbrook, whose combined talents make such beautiful buttons for YLCF!