Where Did All The Passion Go?

As I was thinking about what I would write about this week, I had several different ideas. But one topic that really grabbed me was when a friend told me, "I'm struggling with finding passion in life." This friend is not alone. I have had many friends tell me this exact same thing in the recent months, and I myself have struggled with it as well in the past. Where has all the passion gone? Why do people feel like they live without purpose and direction? How can they get out of this rut they are in?


I'm not a doctor or a scientist or psychiatrist. I haven't studied this topic or done extensive research on it. But I've lived it, and I think there is a lot to gain from life experience, which is why I feel qualified to write about it. Take it for what it is: the musings of girl who has felt the ache of a passionless life, who found passion through God's leading and in God's timing, and now aches for others haven't reached that point yet. To begin: my story. It was the year I graduated with my first associate's degree. I was done with college, and I had absolutely no idea what I wanted to do in life. All I knew was that I was not ready to settle down with a full-time job and I had no interest in pursuing the career that my degree was in. I explored one option and then another, all leading to dead ends and closed doors. By the middle of summer I was getting fed up. I am not a directionless person. I have always had a plan and gone for it gun-ho, so wandering aimlessly was extremely frustrating to me. This sounds odd now, but in order to force myself to make a decision about my future and take action I quit my job. It was a job that I had once loved but knew that I could never make a career out of it, and at the time it was just another area that lacked my passion or interest. Looking back I can't say if that was the wisest decision or not, but I know that God used it. But what that did immediately was leave me in a position where I was doing nothing. I was a directionless being with no job and no passion to find another one. This is the essence of a passionless life: You don't have interest in what you are doing currently, and you can't find that one thing that does interest or motivates you. So basically you're stuck with no idea how to get out. This is frustrating. You can't just snap your fingers and suddenly become passionate about something; that's not how it works. So how does one find passion and direction in life?


I'm not going to answer that, because I can't. It's different for everyone and I can't tell you steps A,B, and C that will help you find your purpose in life. I can't help you, but God can. Draw close to His heart and hear His heartbeat for you. Ask Him how you can live your life for His glory. I know this kind of sounds like an oxymoron, because more often than not, if you are lacking passion in life, your relationship with God is also lacking. If you had passion about seeking God than you would not be living a completely passionless life, yes? How can you hear God if you are so far away from God? How can you seek God when you have no desire to seek Him? Again, God can help you. Go to Him and be completely honest. I have told God, "I have no desire to seek You and become close to You right now. But I know that should, so You are going to have to help and bring me to Yourself." And He did, because God is faithful. He did it by bringing a very difficult and painful situation in my life, where He stripped everything else away until the only thing I could cling to was Him. But it worked, and my relationship with God became closer than ever before.


This leads me to the actual purpose of writing this blog. I can't tell you specifically how to find your passion, but I can share thoughts on how to survive the wanderings to get to that point. The most important part is to realize that God is using this season of your life, and that no matter how purposeless it feels, it does have a purpose. I admit that this purpose is hard to see, but you have to believe that God hasn't forgotten you, and that He is molding and shaping you through this dry period. Second, focus on others. There is no faster way to throw pity party for yourself than to continually focus on yourself and your problems and lack of passion. Serve others, serve in your church, help out at the local food kitchen, do something that helps someone else. This not only prevents you from drowning in a sea of hopelessness and passionlessness by putting your life into perspective by interacting with others, but you will also be doing some good in the process. Also, it's amazing how purpose and passion creep up on you when you are helping the least of these. That's how I found my passion for victims of human trafficking, which is another blog for another time. Even if you don't find your passion in life through it, I would be hard pressed to think of a better use of your time. Third, and probably hardest, work on contentment. I know how frustrating it is to live life that lacks passion. It's even harder to be in that situation and be content about it. Being content does not mean that you have to stop looking for your passion and give up, nor does it give you permission to sit around and do nothing to change your situation. It means surrendering your situation to God and being able to say, "This is where I'm at right now, and although this is not where I want to be right now, I will be content with where God has placed me for as long as He wills, and I will use this time to glorify Him." This is not easy to say or do, and it doesn't just apply if your life is lacking passion. Being content is important in any situation you find yourself in. My prayer is that you can say with the apostle Paul: "For I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Phil. 4:11.


friends who are searching for passion, my heart goes out to you. While I am sorrowful that you have been led to the desert for a period, I look forward with anticipation to the joy that awaits you when find your purpose and passion. It's not always going to be like this. Be brave. Be strong. Be blessed.