Passion for the Holy

Kajijis,
It's true that God blesses us with certain natural abilities and talents as well as gifts of the Holy Spirit if we are His followers. The key is to learn what our talents and passions are so God can help us to use them more effectively for His glory. You may know what your passions are, but may be confused about how God can use them. Or maybe you're not sure what they are. I believe when we look to where our interests lie, we'll see connections between our desires and our calling from God. Of course, our desires ought to always be covered in prayer so they are never for unholy things.

There is a gravitation in the moral as in the physical world. When love to God is habitually in the ascendant or occupying place of the will, it gathers round it all the other desires of the soul as satellites, and whirls them along with it in its orbit round the center of attraction [the core desire].

John MacDuff

In looking to where our interests are, it is possible for us to recognize God's placing those interests within us and seeing where they may lead us whether in serving God directly, serving others or in using them for self-care. "...we must identify what stirs our passion and begin formulating a plan to utilize that passion on a consistent basis. We may not be able to support ourselves in a full-time job doing our passion, but we can find ways to increase how often we do that item, thereby improving our attitude.. Our first step is to ask God to reveal to us the specific purpose for which He created us. This doesn't have to be some major influence. God uses all of us in concert to accomplish His overall purposes. No matter how big or small your purpose is, when used in conjunction with the purposes of others, the whole picture develops and no part is more important than the other. Discovering our passion and using it on a weekly basis makes a major impact on our overall attitude. The new knowledge we learn from God takes root in our heart from our actions.

I encourage you to make the right choices, learn God's truths about who you are because of your relationship with Jesus Christ, spend more time with God than with negative people, and find your passion in life so you too can impact this world for God's glory! "1

Finding your passions can be as simple as asking yourself some questions:
"What is it that moves us? What is it that excites us and inspires us? What is it that gives real purpose and meaning to our lives? When we dwell within the realm of our hearts we are looking for the source of our energy and enthusiasm.
This can be a scary jump. To give our lives in any vocation (marriage, single life, religious life, priesthood, the permanent diaconate), means that we are willing to commit our hearts. Taken seriously, it means that we discover what we are willing to live for, and we are defined by what sacrifices we are willing to make." 2

I'd like to start a new series on Passion - our passion for life, for others, for Christ. I'm hoping each of you will be able to ask the above questions of yourself and give us some of your own answers. I believe that in knowing what our passions are, we are better able to know ourselves in a deeper, more intimate spiritual way as well as better serving each other in encouraging those passions to be used for God's glory. I will be asking you to share your passions with us, whether they be helping to evangelize the whole world or evangelize your own little world (as in your home), serving in the soup kitchen or serving from your own kitchen, wanting to homeschool your children or serve in your child's school, prayer and/or fasting, communing with God in nature or finding Him in the company of friends, etc. What are your passions? Do you feel God is using them in your life, in others? Reading books, scrapbooking, baking, dancing, hiking, traveling, sewing, playing boardgames, whatever you love doing in your spare time - all these can be passions and all can be used by God in some manner. I'm hoping we'll have many new "authors" on our blog in the coming weeks to share their thoughts, ideas and interests in life (that means you!). Let us offer up our passions and talents for God to use in powerful, life-changing ways!

Blessings,
Crystal

1.http://motivational.articlesarchive.net/how-to-change-your-attitudes.html
2. This comes from an article I found related to your "calling" from God (as in vocation) written by a priest. I recommend reading the whole article found here: http://www.catholicherald.org/archives/ricci/ricci.august02.html