I have to do this! Nothing excites me more. When the opportunity comes up my heart flutters with anticipation. I feel like this is what I was made for.
It happened again yesterday.
Dennis and I were at City Life church in downtown Grand Rapids where Adam and Christy Lipscomb pastor. I introduced myself to a gal named Sonja who is going through the one-year program at the Mel Trotter mission just blocks away. An addict to cocaine and alcohol, this African American mother and grandmother shared with me how after four jail sentences last year, she wanted to get her life straightened out. Seven months into the program she has reached "level 3" which gives her new privileges, one being able to attend a church outside of the mission facility. This was her second week to be at City Life.
We sat across from each other at the FallFest cookout after the service. With a band in the background and people from all walks of life sitting at tables set up on an old broken up parking lot, we engaged in conversation. I learned more of this 41-year-old's life - a life affected by the need to get high and escape her troubles - one that has had ramifications for her five children. She says, "God is good. He's in my life now. With his help I'm going to change the direction of my life."
Nothing excites me more than to see life-change from the inside out. I love to come along side others to guide, encourage, and support. I love connecting them to a God who is the ultimate transformer! I believe that God truly does make a person into a “new creation” through Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). C.S. Lewis in his book Mere Christianity wrote an entire chapter entitled “The New Man” where he states that it’s “not mere improvement, but transformation.” Transformation. That’s what I love to be a part of – an agent of God’s love and grace that changes lives, marriages, families. That’s what I’m passionate about! Whether it's teaching, mentoring, writing, or counseling, transformation is the focus of my life.
Passions form the focus of our lives. They give shape to our strengths. They represent those ideas, values, desires that we are most passionate about. They give our heart energy, enthusiasm, and an eagerness for life – our passions move us forward, giving motivation and direction to life. They give us that "This is what I was made for" feeling. Nothing is more rewarding than serving in the mix of our passions and strengths.
God placed those passions in your heart for a reason. What are you passionate about?
1 comment:
Great post! Thanks for sharing your cool day with us! I can totally see how transformation is your passion, and I can see you sitting at that table with Sonja. Sounds like a really great church! It'd be fun to read about all your church experiences this summer/fall!
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