What's Keeping Me from My Passions?

Man, this is tough. What IS keeping me from my passions? My initial, gut reaction was to point out that fear is what keeps me from my passions. And, I had a great list of fears, too. Here they are:

•  Fear of failure
•  Fear of exposure
•  Fear of rejection
•  Fear of being “real” aka transparency

Yet, the more I chewed on the topic and the more I talked to my friends about the stuff God unearths in me, I learned that fear is just a symptom.  A symptom of a much greater disease in my life – disobedience.  Yes, fear is a factor, but when I strip away all the layers (and*ahem* excuses) what I am left with is … wait for it …  disobedience.

 Disobedience … in the form of lack of trust
A dear friend shared this quote with me, “True faith means holding nothing back. It means putting every hope in God’s fidelity to His promises.” The word that catches my attention most in that statement is fidelity. Imagine God-sized fidelity. With that in mind, how can I not trust in God? Beyond that, and here’s where the disobedience part kicks in, we are instructed in Scripture to “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make straight your paths” (Prov. 3:5-6). That’s a command. Not a suggestion.

Disobedience … in the form of refusing to believe
I think refusing to believe in God’s infinite power keeps most of us from pursuing our passions. We don’t think we are a good enough for God. We aren’t a good enough writer.  We aren’t a good enough speaker. We aren’t a good enough teacher, etc.  We’ve not lived blamelessly enough.  Plainly put, we all have a deep mental struggle that has us trying to figure out just how much God really loves us. Ironically, as one writer states, “If the Bible makes no other point, it shouts this one: God loves us!” What a novel idea. God loves me. He really, really does love me. I just have to believe that God cares enough to equip me for what He has called me to do.

Disobedience … in the form of not responding
God loves me, and He has told all of us “I love you” in countless ways. Instead of trying to be good enough, I just need to respond to God’s love. Respond. Live my life fully. Live my life in the freedom of God’s unending grace. Who knows, while I’m responding, maybe I’ll help someone else break down similar walls or touch their heart. If I don’t respond and run after what God offers me, I risk not touching the heart of someone else.

So, here I sit and it’s time to turn the corner. It’s time to trust, believe, and respond. It’s time to be obedient. And, now, I dare you. Ask yourself what’s keeping YOU from your passions.