Passion & Pursuit

I love to see people passionate about something they believe in strongly. I enjoy the energy that comes along with their testimony and even activity. But is that enough?

Perhaps an analogy could help. Take, for example, a baker, who is passionate about bread. They have all the recipes, but it takes action to put all the ingredients together to form the final product. Every recipe is different but purposeful. Passion isn’t enough.

Some may say that passion and pursuit can come naturally. If you’re passionate, then you will take action. It can define your purpose in life and even a stated vision. Is that enough?

A stated mission can enable individual pursuits that may even be lead by a passionate advocate. There’s a combination of several ideas that can flow to enable an organization to thrive. Like bread, it’s not enough just to bake bread for yourself. A baker has customers or even people they can give it to.

That’s what this article brings us to consider today. Can passion, coupled with pursuit be enough for the long haul? Half baked bread is not a goal. Couple passion with pursuit (or even purpose) makes the difference. 

For people of faith, it’s clear when we understand our mission in life. It might be defined by what we have been exposed to or experienced through faith. There are two important dates in our life, the day we are born and the day we know the reason why? As Christians, when we understand, our purpose coupled with our gifts and abilities, passion is the fuel that motivates us.

Consider your mission for just a moment. It could be your church or community group or even the business that you lead or represent. Obviously, there are some businesses that create “widgets & things“ that can define success. The more you sell, the great of the profit, minus the cost can equal success.

In the not-for-profit sector, passion isn’t all it takes. Certainly there needs to be resources through donors or foundations or even contractual services. But in the days we are facing, resources may be harder to find. We can work hard and we could even work smart yet, the pursuit of resources is the long game not the sprint.

I suggest to you that passion has its place. When we think about the three things, we should all have is a part of our day today activities, hunger remains paramount.. i’ve written on this already and the following article will give you an idea of the other two items that include: Humility & Harmony.

Hunger can be solve through temporary means. It satisfies our appetite and cravings for a while. But I’m not talking about physical attributes. I’m talking about spiritual and values based principles. Take for example of sales person. If they’re not hungry for sales, you will see it by their activities and their scorecard.

Checking off your list an item is not the same as accomplishing your goals. Every smart objective needs to be coupled with the pursuit of mission. Take for example this really inexpensive solution for your iPhone as an example.

Just because it functions as a holder doesn’t mean that everybody will want it. It may be practical, but it is not fulfilling to the mission. You may be called to.

I love what Paul said in Philippians that he, though he was imprisoned, was yet passionate and drew upon the analogy of a race. We all must strive as if we were in a race. You could call that passion or hunger. The vision that Paul had toward the mission to which he was called, kept him pursuing the objectives needed. (Philippians 3:14) of course, the race that he is referring to is one that is both spiritual and purposeful. You don’t run just any race, but you want to win the race for which God has called you.

I remain optimistic, but realize that passion is not enough. If I have smart goals, coupled with a great mission, passion can do a lot to meet the objectives. They must be disciplined and applied purposefully.

No one could argue that the apostle Paul possessed a hunger for both righteousness, through right living, and a desire for others to be included. As a follower of Christ, every day I think about ways to witness to another. I ask often , how can I pray for you?

My degree of passion must be coupled with a set of accountabilities that include goals to advance the mission.

Granted, I don’t always incorporate all three of these in my life, yet, I strive to remain hungry for growth, humble in what I do, and work to have harmony with others. Nevertheless, I am thankful for the opportunities God gives me to make a difference in the lives of others. 

How about you?