If you’ve read any of my previous posts, I’m sure you know
that I believe EVERYONE was born with God given dreams. We are each created
with a unique combination of giftings, talents, passion and personality. When
properly cultivated we can live a life that honors God, blesses others and
gives us personal satisfaction. I’ve encountered many people who believe that
following God means the abandonment of all their dreams. And if that dream
included being the biggest drug dealer in the United States or a stripper then
I would agree because I can assure you God has better dreams than a life of
crime or a career that demoralizes women. However, if your dream has the
ability to help people live a better life then it’s probably from God. It’s
important to recognize that dreams of becoming a doctor, lawyer, musician, rapper,
entrepreneur, dancer or teacher can be inspired by the heart of God. God is
interested in touching people in every arena and to do that He needs people who
love Him and love their jobs to make that happen. For this reason, God puts
different dreams in the hearts of different people, but each dream will help fulfill
God’s desire to touch humanity. Don’t allow anyone to tell you that your dream
isn’t from God, but God.
In Rick Warren’s book, “The Purpose Driven Life” he talks
about gift envy and gift projection. Gift envy is when we are jealous of the
gifts of another. We wish that we could be like someone else, the same voice,
or knack for decorating, but that my friend, is an insult to the creativity of
God. According to Psalm 139 we are each fearfully and wonderfully made and God
took great care in forming each of us. To prefer another’s giftings over our
own is to minimize what God has placed in you. We must remember that there are
many gifts, but one Spirit. Each gift matters and has the ability to impact the
world in a life changing way. Each person matters to God. Don’t waste time
comparing yourself to others. Celebrate who God has made you! Don’t waste your time
being envious instead identify and cultivate what God has placed in you to be
used to honor Him and impact the world.
Gift projection is the tendency to expect or demand that
others are passionate about whatever we are passionate about. I must admit that
I’ve been guilty of this on a few occasions especially where my husband is
concerned. Have you ever done that? I love to read and to write and I’ve held
him hostage quite a few times making him listen to me read something that I
considered “life changing.” I’ve FINALLY learned that God wired us differently.
We have different interests, passions and abilities. When we use those
differences to complement each other then we are left without weaknesses. I don’t
have the right to make him passionate about what I’m passionate about. God made
us different. The same is true for the Body of Christ and the world at large. Imagine the world if everyone wanted to be a
firefighter, we’d have an abundance of firefighters, but we’d lack in every
other area. Who would teach our kids, run our government and feed the hungry?
We need to learn to value our gifts and to value the gifts of those around us.
We should resist both the urge to be like others and the urge to make others be
like us.
I once read a quote that said, “Whenever we choose to live
out our full potential, we give those around use permission to do the same.”
Can you imagine the problems we could solve if everyone walked in their
purpose? Would education be different if every teacher LOVED to teach and
taught at the level the best suited his/her personality? If you’ve ever
encountered a teacher who loves to teach, you know there’s a big difference in
the quality of work he/she does. I’ve had teacher who literally changed my life
because of their passion. What if people selected careers based off passion and
purpose instead of just for a paycheck? Would there be an increase in
productivity and solutions? I believe so because there is great satisfaction in
doing what you were born to do.
Here are a few questions to help you gain clarity:
- What are your gifts and talents?
- What are you passionate about?
- Do you believe this passion is from God?
- How are you using them to impact your world?
- What steps could you take to make your passion profitable?
- Who has done what you want to do? Who could serve as a mentor?
