Passions

Sometimes I feel like God has these little jokes that he knows only I will really appreciate.

This one is no different.

For a year now, I have consciously been praying for God to open my eyes to that one thing I can be passionate about. I had felt out some things, thinking maybe that was it-my big one: child poverty. Surely that is as good a passion as any, right? 

It all started with seeing the people I studied abroad in Greece with. Never had I come to know a group of people as intimately as I knew them, and that definitely included knowing where their passions lie. Everything from animals, to worship leading, to children and youth, to history and archaeology, to photography. Where's mine? I could see it in how they acted, how they talked-that was their purpose. And it caused me to stumble. I had been sure that I was intended to be a psychology major, to go on and help people with all my psychology knowledge, and to fight child poverty in ways that I could on the side. So I started questioning what I was really intended to do with my life. Summer was too busy to think about it, but the fall semester really tripped me up. Toward November, I decided that I couldn't be a psych major in good conscious anymore and made an admittedly blind switch to General Studies-it was perfect! It allowed me to not waste all those psych credits, opened doors to take a wider variety of courses, and I could still graduate in 4 years! My parents worried some, but I was stoked. 

Over Christmas break, I was given the opportunity to attend the Passion Conference in Atlanta, Georgia with some friends. It was incredible-the most overwhelming, humbling, exhausting, exciting experience and a great way to start off 2013. The past couple years, Passion has focused on the issue of human trafficking. They began the "End It Movement" that week, raising awareness of the cause, fundraising, and other initiatives that came to follow. That week, through hours of praise, sometimes dozing off during speakers, and 60,000 other people, God nestled the issue of trafficking right into my open, searching heart. With representatives from different organizations, stories of real victims, and resources to help laid out before me, I was stirred to righteous anger. It was sickening to hear the story of Rachel, a trafficking victim, and encouraging to see her sitting just a section away from me, smiling in restoration. 

When I got home from the Conference, I resolved to not let that passion fade away. I spent hours researching the issue, combing through organization websites, and seeing where I could be used. As I got deeper into my newly realized passion, I looked back at the series of seeds planted in that journey. It's one of my favorite things to look back at milestones in a journey once you get to the other side and see how things worked together to bring you to your current location. I realized that God stirred the thirst for passion in me in Greece. And then that summer, my home church's college group collected money to support women who were trafficked (unfortunately, I didn't understand what that meant at the time). Then on a mission trip during my internship, I encountered several children who were in poor family situations. I cannot say for sure, but I would guess that they would have been victims of trafficking or just sex slavery. Then in the fall, a friend from high school began a blog for class focusing on the issue of human trafficking. Each thing peaked more and more interest, until finally it culminated in Atlanta. 

I can only smile and laugh at God's sense of humor that I discovered my personal passion at Passion 2013. Now on days when I feel useless and no good, there's always something in the back of my mind recalling that I have a purpose. 

So take heart, you passion-seekers. If you haven't found yours yet, keep your eyes open and head up. It is coming! And if you have found yours, chase after it! Remember in your bad days that your purpose is always there, and seek opportunities to feed that fire. It's a precious, precious gift.

Picture from Passion 2013

End It Movement