Part 3 in a series of 5
I believe passion is important. Important in a life-giving way. Important in that, without it, whatever endeavor you pursue may not succeed. If you are exploring how to pursue your purpose, passion is an vital ingredient. But I want to make the case that passion alone is not enough.
One person in our small group has a passion for movies. (This is a good thing. Movies are cool.) But his passion didn't lead to sharing the Gospel. In fact, it was an indicator of a deeper, inward focus.
When talking to him about what our small group should do as outreach, he had difficulty answering the question. This revealed that his outlook was, in, fact, inward. When I suggested that the small group should add a strong external component, he resisted. He said that the small group was about making the members "stronger." His core activities were about "fellowship" -- such as having dinner and going to the movies together. Throw in a Bible study and grace before meals and he was done.
There's nothing bad or harmful with this, but as a vision for what a body in Christ should do, it felt small.
This is why passion falls short, especially for those living a life in Christ. As sinners and innately selfish people, when we focus on our passions, we focus on ourselves.
Again, passion isn't innately wrong. God created us to be passionate people. But just as humans can corrupt things made by God -- sex, nature, work -- we can corrupt the essence of passion.
What is the other part; the "jelly" to passion's "peanut-butter"?
"Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ." (Galatians 6:2)
What happens if you shift your self-examination from "What is my passion?" to "Whose burden can I carry?" This will naturally change the dialogue for most people.
During small group, I asked people to do this. Most started to share the kinds of people they felt a burden for. But not all of them. Dave visibly struggled with this question. It made sense given his inclination. But at least struggling and praying to find it is part of the growing process.
It is when we close ourselves off to finding the burden on our heart that we shrink and stagnate.
When we truly walk with and follow Christ, we will feel a burden for someone else. And guess what? There are plenty of burdens, all different kinds of burdens, to go around.
How do you know when this burden is something that really resonates with you? When you become passionate about it.
#1: Carrying another's burden fulfills Christ's desire
The verse couldn't be any clearer, could it? Christ desires us to carry each other's burdens. It fulfills the law of Christ.
Typically, we don't refer to Christ's work on earth as the law. His Truth was put in contrast to the law, one which none of us could fulfill because the standards were impossibly high for sinful people.
But this verse uses the word "law," which underscores the importance. Christ's will and desire for us is to carry one another's burdens. If we believe this verse to bear truth, there should be power in following it.
#2: Looking for burdens makes you look outward
An outward focus is one that creates a powerful foundation for impact. Let's look at the two examples. If I focused on my passion , something to do with writing and communication, I would spin my wheels trying to figure out the "what" and the "how."
But one of my burdens is to help others early in their careers to leverage their enthusiasm and innovations to spread the Gospel and, as a result, transform their own lives for greater impact and meaning.
This burden makes me look outward; and by looking outward, I can touch more lives and, as a bonus, dramatically improve my own. By first determining my burden (helping millennials live missionally), I can give focus and direction to my passion (communication and technology).
#3: Carrying a burden in Christ's name gives you courage
To make decisions that run against the grain, that lead you to unconventional territory, you will need courage. When it's not just your passion but your prayerful burden that sets your direction, you will be emboldened.
Here's an example of what I mean: as a way to contribute to organizations fighting human trafficking (a burden I felt several years ago after learning about the problem), I teamed with two other people to start a cosmetics company where we donated money from every sale.
I'm not a cosmetics type of person. I'm a dude. If I were to have just started a cosmetics company, I wouldn't have had the drive or boldness to get it off the ground. But because the makeup business was a means to carry a burden for others, I could. (As a note: the two women got pulled into other priorities, so if you'd like to take a leadership role, let me know!)
For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline. (2 Timothy 1:7)
When you, out of love, seek to carry someone's burden, you'll have the power of Christ in your actions. And having that can make all the difference in pursuing your purpose with passion.
If you're interested in learning more about how to live an unconventional life for the Gospel, one that will bring you greater joy, peace, and adventure in your life, check out my free e-book The Unexpected Life .
A graduate of both Yale and Princeton, Tim Fong works with high tech start-up companies, with a focus on Big Data. He lives with his wife and two children in San Francisco. They attend GrX, an Evangelical Covenant church.
* Photo courtesy of Dey (Flickr Creative Commons).
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