PASSION POINTERS

PASSION POINTERS

1. What comes naturally? What flows out of you without effort? Do you find yourself engaging in discourses or practices in particular fields of endeavour, in which though not trained, you always come out on top? For instance, are you someone who designs your own clothes which always become the centre of attraction? You call it your hobby. Probably you find yourself always waking up with tunes, writing lyrics, poems, or stories in spite of the fact that you have no formal training in those fields. Your passion may just be calling your attention. Be wise. Heed to its voice. One interesting thing I realized about the sons of Lamech – Jabal, Jubal, and Tubal-Cain [Genesis 4:19-22] is that all their names have a common root meaning to flow as a stream. Their gifts simply oozed out of them effortlessly. It came naturally to them. Probably by these names and the outcome of their lives, God may be teaching us the lesson of following the natural flow of our lives if we are to make significant impact in our endeavours. Shakti Gawain, a human potential teacher commented thus, “We will discover the nature of our particular genius when we stop trying to conform to our own or to other people’s models, learn to be ourselves, and allow our natural channel to open”. That “natural channel” is that of passion.
2. I just want to be where you are: which fields of endeavour irresistibly draws and holds your attention? In addition, do you always shine when you put your hands to do those things that put your soul on fire? Seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong of the United States, after winning a record sixth consecutive title in 2004, said, “I am not in it for the money, fame... I am in it because I love it”.
3. Star struck: Do people look at you and treat you like one of the ‘stars’ when you participate in some activities? Remember a man’s gift will always make him shine or stand out of the crowd . However, the gift can only be fuelled or powered by passion if you are to excel.
4. Surprise, surprise! Is there something you love to do, that always amazes people? Do you do things, which sometimes surprise even the people close to you? Even in unfavourable environments, are you able to repeat those performances?
5. For better or for worse: Are you willing to live and die for this? Do you enjoy doing it even though it is difficult for others? Would you still do this if the payment you receive for it were reduced? At the end of the day, passion is primarily not about money and fame. Money may be a by-product of passion, but that is not what this book is about. It is a fiery love of something and the joys that go with it. It is about the sense of fulfilment that passion brings.
6. No drudgery here: Do you enjoy what others consider drudgery in that field of endeavour? American essayist Logan Pearsall Smith said, “The test of a vocation is the love of the drudgery it involves”. Every form of pursuit contains some amount of drudgery. If you enjoy the drudgery, you can live with it forever. In a sense, your passion is like your husband or wife. If you can live with each other’s shortcomings and faults, it can be forever.
7. Out of the abundance of the heart : What do you talk about most? It excites your heart, occupies your waking thoughts and imaginations, giving you pictures of what could be, and it is the first on your lips. It is a pointer to your passion. For those of us who are Christians, we need to find out what service or ministry in the church we love talking about. What are we so concerned and enthusiastic about in church? It could be the music, ushering, teaching, giving or praying. Move to that department in the church and begin to let your passion run. That is how to progress in Christian service.
8. Labour of love: You serve what you love. Jacob served seven years for Rachel. The Bible records that the seven years looked like a few days for Jacob . When you are in the company of someone dear to you, or doing something you enjoy, time really flies. Renowned scientist and inventor Thomas Edison spent thousands of hours experimenting before he made his discoveries. He never saw it as drudgery and so he worked for days on end, sometimes without food. To him it was service of love for the advancement of humanity.
The Son of God, Jesus Christ our Lord, served humanity and in the course of service gave His life as a seed to God to multiply in us . In the course of service, you plant seeds that multiply and bring you prosperity and happiness. What you love to serve most may be your passion and your source of fulfilment.
9. Where did he learn this? As a parent, you may ask yourself “Do I find my child sometimes doing things that make me wonder where he learnt it from”? In addition, “Are those things she does constantly being inexplicably repeated”? Swiss philosopher and poet, Henri Frederic Amiel, once said “The fire which enlightens is the same fire which consumes”. For all you know the child may just be pointing to the ‘script’ he is carrying to play out in life - where his passion or his seed lies. Recognising and developing this would save the child a lot of misery in life.
10. What makes him tick? Do you or others sometimes comment that your child is ‘mad’ or ‘crazy’ about a particular thing? They could be crazy about playing the keyboard or guitar, kicking a football around half the day, or making little dresses for dolls at a very tender age. What you are seeing is comparable to a precious uncut and unpolished jewel such as a diamond attempting to shine through the surrounding mud. Your responsibility here is to guide gently your child to polish what God has put in him until he picks up a fire of his own.

Never make the mistake of suppressing what you do not understand. The child may forever be frustrated in life. I have heard a few stories like that and they are not pleasant. A few have even gone mental through the frustration of not being able to express what they feel within. French philosopher François Marie Arouet, a.k.a. Voltaire, said, “Anyone who seeks to destroy the passions instead of controlling them is trying to play the angel”.
11. Do you have a gift or talent in that discipline? Gifts and talents are the fuel for the fires of passion. Passion will give wings to your gifts and talents and cause you to excel. Noted author John Maxwell wrote; “Human beings are so made that whenever anything fires the soul, impossibilities vanish. A fire in your life lifts everything in your life. That’s why passionate leaders are so effective. A leader with great passion and few skills always outperforms a leader with great skills and no passion”. From this statement, we can adduce that if you cannot live with the drudgery of your occupation, it cannot light a fire in you, so you will not be passionate about it. Hence, you will not be able to perform creditably no matter the external motivation your employers try to give you.
A sense of duty, obligation or guilt is poor fuel for getting things done because they will not give you the requisite inner strength to surmount the challenges your projects present. It may be you do not have the gifts, talents and passion for it. Make a move. Begin to discover, develop and deploy your passion.
12. What sparks a fire in you and releases your latent energies? What you love to do will spark a fire in your soul. American psychologist and philosopher Professor William James said, “Fire is burning passion”. If that fire really burns in your life, it will set your wheels aflame and cause you to do something.
13. Enthusiasm – a sure sign of passion. The word enthusiasm comes from the Greek adjective ‘entheos’, meaning, “Having the god within”. Though of pagan roots, this explanation clearly helps us to locate our passion. It is formed from en-, “in, within,” and theos, “god.” Your enthusiasm is therefore an indicator of the passion God has deposited in you. You can know your passion by the level of enthusiasm you have for something. For a footballer like Pele of Brazil, we may say that God’s natural grace was in his feet. For others, God’s natural grace may be in their hands or voice. In an organizational or church setting, if you want to locate which vessels God will use to advance the work in various departments, look for those who are enthusiastic. With a little knowledge through targeted training, they will excel in what they do.