Several years ago I went to a pastor’s conference at Willow Creek Community Church in Chicago. One of the speakers did a teaching on “holy discontent,” which he described as passion burning inside of each one of us to do something great. It will be different for each of us, but we all have a passion that drives us. We can choose to ignore it, or we can embrace it and watch how God uses it.
A book that I am reading, A New Look at Prayer: Searching For Bliss, by Bill Huebsch, says this in regard to the subject of passion and inner yearnings:
“Many people live their entire lives without following their inner call. They never do that thing which is most “them”, never follow their heart. In their thinking, they’re being responsible adults, doing the work expected of them, earning a living, making a name, caring for others, obeying the rules, perfecting the world, running the ship, keeping things tidy…and so these people never know the bliss of following their yearning, listening to their ache, doing their thing in life…how very sad because when we listen closely to that deep, inner voice, and follow our real route, then the world too, prospers because all of us are living according to our created purpose.”
It’s funny how when we are receptive to the messages God has for us, we will find and discover them around us each day.
What is your holy discontent? What ONE thing has been a constant in your life? Is there something that you would like to achieve, a people group you long to help, something that you dream about or something that you would quit your day job to do, if you could?
Take chances. Live your dream. Invest in yourself, and by doing so you will help change the world around you. I have a plaque on my desk to remind me that I am moving in the right direction and it reads, “Follow Your Heart.” I need a visual reminder to assure me in moments of self-doubt that I can do all things through Christ, who is my strength. (Philippians 4:13)
List three things you would like to try:
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List three places you would like to visit:
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Define your “holy discontent”. Write it down. Pin it up somewhere that you can see it, daily. Once you begin to see and understand what it is that you are passionate about, your “holy discontent”, you can begin the process of working toward something.
Begin to “Follow Your Heart” today…. try some new things, go somewhere new, work toward listening closer to your inner voice, following your real route…the route that was designed especially for you. How would your journey look? Describe…