Lean Into What You Love

One of the things I love about doing Highlights interviews is how the stories connect in miraculous ways. I interviewed a few folks who seemed like they knew exactly what God had called them to and went after it. I also got to speak with a couple who didn’t really have any sort of distinct, burning bush type of calling, which was a source of anxiety.

I know this sense of anxiety, desperately trying to determine what God wants me to do. It has plagued me my whole life. I feel like I’m always failing because I don’t have a task to complete. If I drill that down, I’m looking for a certificate that says, “see, God, I did do good, so I should be in Heaven with you.” That is insecurity bleeding over into faith.

The reality is that we really only have 2 commands: Love God, Love people. After that, there is a tremendous amount of freedom. After speaking to a few different people on this topic, the consensus seems to be that God doesn’t really care what you do.

That is a statement I have to immediately qualify. God does care what we do. For example, we can’t be a porn star and think that is what God is calling us to. The assumption in that statement is that whatever we pursue, it is within God’s rules. For example, does God care if I roast coffee or bbq? No, I don’t think he does.

Ok, so then how do we determine what we are to do?

I think we look at what we really love. Is there something you are really passionate about? Something you are willing to work really hard for? Something that gives you more energy the harder you work at it? If so, then lean into that.

For me, roasting coffee is something that I love and leaned into. In doing so, I gained this really unique perspective on the natural world. I began to love God more because I learned more about Him through his creation. Then when I wanted to share that thing I love with people. I love brewing a cup of coffee and serving it to people. It is an act of love and service for me. It is taking all that nerdy knowledge and giving it to someone else to hopefully lift them up.

If you see in that example, it is following the two commands of Christ. It doesn’t really matter what we do as long as it leads us to loving God more and sharing that love with people.