Alyra struggles to be open about hers, fearing rejection. Jerin has to find what his actual calling truly is- because it's not exactly what he thinks. Katrina fights with not letting hers go to her head. Lotari finds himself overwhelmed with his mission. And Stitch still really wants his beard to hurry up grow in.
This morning I was gearing up for a day of edits- By skimming through my Facebook feed- when I came across this video.
Go check it out. Real quick. Right click and open in another tab, then come back here. I'll wait.
Are you back? What did you think?
Two things stuck out at me. First, Tanner decided to use his passion to make a difference. He loved photography. He decided to do something meaningful with his talent. The second thing was when he said he wanted to be generous with his passion. Living generously.
Using your passion to make a difference by being generous with it.
What does that mean? Really.
Well, I've been thinking a lot about this over the past couple of days, honestly. First, finding your passion is the big, huge, important step. What makes your heart soar? What do you love to do more than anything, but push it aside because you know it might never pay the bills or provide a retirement fund?
Practically is the killer of invention, I believe. Why? Because Practically is what I've struggled with over the past twenty years of wanting to write, but fearing nothing would ever come of it.
But... but... but, I finally had to come to terms I could forever wish to be a writer... someday. Or I could step up and become what my heart has wanted since I was a child. That's a long time to hold back a passion.
Alyra is afraid to let her "light" shine, so to speak, because of lies she's been told about her abilities. I had to come to terms with some of the lies I'd bought into and decide this is what I do. What I love doing. This is what I was created for.
Jerin thinks his skills will take him in one direction, but he finds out there are sometimes side roads we need to be willing to take. The writing I envisioned as a child, isn't what I ended up doing. And that's okay.
Now, I'm seeking balance. How to put my passions to use in a way that will benefit not only me, by like, making a living doing what I love, but will glorify God and bless others, too. It's not difficult to let our passions overwhelm us until we see nothing else.
There's still a beautiful world out there to see, and explore, and people to enjoy. Yes, the path is narrow, but that doesn't mean our vision needs to be narrow, too.
I'm excited about this next book and eager to get it out for you to read. It's helped me think a lot about what I hope to do with the talents God has given me. And, it's a fun story. I love, love, love, Granny Fila. She's really come alive in these pages. And Stitch with his beard dilemma- along with trying to grow into his hooves. Love him.
Dear friends, find your passion, your talents.
The world needs you to be generous with them. Everyone is always going on about how bad this world is getting. Stop the complaining and figure out what small things you can do to make it better. It doesn't even have to be something artistic. Maybe you have the gift of hospitality... people love feeling welcomed and wanted. Listening? Everyone needs someone who is willing to hear them out. Do you give good hugs? Is your laugh infectious? Are you a hard worker? Do you enjoy just sitting with friends and hanging out. Big. Small. Find it, and do it.
This world is a wonderful place. It is. We only need to open our eyes and find the beauty. It's there. I promise.
