Is there a passion or a calling that God has kindled within your heart?

Maybe this spark was ignited as a child and has grown over time or maybe, it was something God thrusted upon you in an instant, all you know is, you can’t stop thinking about it.  

So just like an obedient child, you step out in faith in full pursuit of this passion. You put in the work, the long hours, and the commitment needed to see it through — but then, as time passes, you begin to get discouraged when you don’t receive the outcome as expected; as the hours get longer, your patience gets shorter. You’re tired and exhausted and feeling completely defeated and all you can think to do is just give up.

All I can say is me too!

I have these moments too. Moments where the desire to serve the Lord with my gifts is bubbling up within me, where my focus is dead on and my purpose is clear but then, something happens and suddenly my intense obedience is reduced to a mild simmer. I get overwhelmed with other tasks, distracted by the pleasures of life and easily taken off course.

God cautions us of this very thing in 2 Corinthians 11:3 “But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpentʼs cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.”

If we’re not careful, our once raging desire to serve the Lord can be dwindled down to a lull.

Sometimes following the passions and desires that God has placed within us can seem daunting. Especially, as we enter into adulthood and more so, parenthood. Our desires, and gifts, and talents usually get packed up in a box and placed on a shelf only to hopefully, be unearthed again — but you know, as you tuck that box away and slowly shut the door, it’s going to sit there eventually becoming submerged and concealed beneath all the stuff that life is going to pack in.

Even still, we throw up our hands in defeat and justify shutting the door because we’re too busy now or it’s too hard or too time consuming or too _________ (you fill-in the blank).

But what if, instead of throwing our hands up in total defeat, we threw our hands up in total surrender?

What if instead of packing it all up in a box and shutting the lid, we poured it out  before the Lord?

Let God

You’ve heard the phrase, “Let go and Let God”; however, letting go and letting God does not equate to giving up on the calling he’s placed upon our heart.

Letting go and letting God, equates to letting go of our own strength, letting go of our own fears, letting go of our own doubts and letting God fill us with his power and his peace and his confidence. This is what will give us the motivation to continue to roll up our sleeves and plow the field with an unyielding resolve, as we wait for the fulfillment of God’s promises to sprout up in our lives.

Not only has the Lord given us a calling but he’s equipped us with the necessary tools to fulfill it — like a farmer with a plow, a craftsman with a chisel or a writer with a pen — the only way we can pour into others, to feed the souls of the hungry and quench the thirst of the thirsty is to completely surrender to the will of the Lord and stay disciplined in our calling and obedient with our gifts.

Maybe you find that your passion to serve the Lord is at a mild simmer or maybe, you’ve tucked all of your gifts and talents into a nice little box which is now buried beneath a pile of life or maybe, you’re just at the edge of giving up — please be encouraged today. If you’ll just keep digging, keep plowing, keep planting, in due time the harvest will be plenty.

Stop & Reflect: I know pursuing a calling takes time and often, when we take the time to cultivate it we can begin to run out of steam. I would challenge you to find time throughout your day and week to invest in the gifts God has given you. Set a daily goal and try to stick with it; God has called you to this area and equipped you in advance, and he wants you to see it through. 

I’d love to hear your thoughts on today’s post, feel free to share your heart in the comments below. 

For more on this topic, read my previous post titled God’s Plan is Perfect, Even if it’s Not My Perfect Plan

God bless.

Anita Marie