PURSUING PASSION

If you have participated in a long-distance sports event
or marathon before, one thing you would surely remember
is the feeling of tiredness and the temptation to give up.
Tiredness is inevitable in any marathon, especially in the
one called “Life.”
Over the past few years, there have been certain ones I
know— friends and family—who have given up in life, whether
it was their jobs, their Christian ministry, their marriages or even
their own lives. It just seemed that there was no longer any resolve
left in them and throwing in the towel became their clearest
option.
As I started to probe further on this topic of quitting, I asked
myself when the times I came closest to quitting were. I cannot
forget all those grueling days in school, at work and at home.
When things were getting out of control during times of conflict
and weariness set in, escaping or quitting just seemed to be the
most convenient option.
But why do some people quit and others remain rooted to
their cause?
People don’t quit only because they are tired. People quit
because they no longer believe in what they are doing. Spouses
divorce because they no longer see any reason for ironing out their
differences. Employees leave their jobs because they feel that
their work is no longer fulfilling to them.
Of course there are occasions when you need to let go of
something in order to embrace your calling. In Genesis 12,
Abraham had to leave his country
and his father’s house to a land
that God would show him, a place
where he would be a father of many
nations. The leaving gives way to
cleaving.
Nevertheless, we need to
recognize that quitting to embrace a
new vision and quitting due to a lack
of vision are worlds apart! Hence, if
you know you are running the course
assigned by God, tiredness should
never be a valid reason to stop what
you are doing. You may need to make
adjustments to your working style
to prevent unnecessary exhaustion,
but it is important to reconcile with
the fact that experiencing a degree
of tiredness is actually acceptable.
This is because if you love what you
are doing and understand why you
are in it, then it is natural for you to
go the extra mile.
In fact, the reason we become tired
is simply because we push ourselves—
sometimes over the edge—to continue
doing what we love to do. Giving our all to
pursue that passion becomes our sole focus
in life. This is where our fulfillment lies, in
the intimate recesses of our heart.
When a lone belief becomes the
catalyst that propels you forward, nothing,
not even tiredness, can stop you.
This understanding can apply in every
aspect of our lives, especially within our
family circles, careers, church ministries
and the relationships around us. If tiredness
was the chief reason why people quit, then
many overworked mums, overburdened
dads and hardworking individuals would
have given up long ago and society would
have plunged into a hollow reality.
There are many people who are
tired, yet they continue, refusing to give
in, because they believe in something
or someone.
What keeps a mother believing that
her wayward son, locked up in prison,
would one day turn over a new leaf? What
strengthens a wife to continue loving her
husband even after his infidelity? What
keeps a servant faithful to his master so that
he chooses to keep on serving him and his
household? And why would God send His
Son to die for mankind, with absolutely no
guarantee of reciprocated love?
The answer is simple yet profound:
God loved His creation so much that
even with the fall of mankind, He chose
to believe in the intrinsic goodness of
man, that they could choose to love Him
with their own freewill. And that belief
in humankind paved the way for God’s
redemptive plan to unfold on earth.
Imagine how “tiring” and painful it
must have been for God to look on His own
people on earth and watch us stumble and
fall every now and then. The Bible is full
of stories on the failures of man, but each
time, God’s love and forgiveness would
prevail. Every time a setback occurs, our
heavenly Father waits patiently for us to
come back to Him.
Knowing that someone believes in us
can be a powerful emotion in itself and is
often enough to spur us ahead once again,
energized and inspired to cross the hurdles
on the path ahead.
What about you today? Is weariness
setting in and draining your life? Have you
lost the sense of purpose in what you are
doing? There is no greater satisfaction than
knowing why you are doing what you are
doing. Nothing can be more powerful than
believing in what you have committed to
do. If tiredness has set in, take some time
out to recuperate and regain your energy.
If your vision has been blurred, go back
to the place where you first received the
rhema word from God and cling onto it.
When the future seems bleak, return to
the secret place of prayer and find your
purpose in God.
Don’t give up just because the results
you want may not be visible yet. Keep
running the race that is set before you and
pursue your passion with all fervor and
enthusiasm!

Credits:Harvest Times Online