“Your life’s calling is that place where your greatest joys and the needs of the world intersect.” Frederick Buechner
As part of the Unstoppable Year Course we have Live Q & A hang outs and it is super fun to connect a bit more personally with my Unstoppables (as I like to call them). At our most recent Q&A, 12 year old Ellie from England asked a big question: How can I focus on my dreams and focus on God at the same time? What a great and important question! Even if your framework does not include God at this time, the question centers around something I believe we all think about and wrestle with…our calling and vocation.
I think the answer to Ellie’s question is actually in the question. I believe our dreams and passions are a gift from God, so we actually honor Him when we live them out! It is good when we go after good things that get us excited and make our hearts sing. We are all one-of-a-kind and we all have one-of-a-kind gifts and dreams. I think God gave us our talents and interests and stories for a reason. He cares about what we care about and He is delighted by what delights us.
When we rock the things we are naturally good at, or pursue the good things that make us excited, I believe we are honoring God. Surfing has been one of my passions for most of my life and that is why it was a given for me that I would get back on the board at the age of 13 after I lost my arm. As I’ve said many times, I was more afraid of losing surfing than I was of getting back in the water. My passion for surfing is also why I continue to train and push myself and made the goal to keep competing even as a mother of two. God gave me my love for the ocean and I honor him when I delight in that passion.
I shared in my post Goals, Dreams, and Speed Bumps that someone wise encouraged me with the words: “When I am my best, it makes for a better world.” That is what we are talking about here. When I surf my best, compete with all of me, and put myself fully into its a good thing! Or when I give my all for the most important relationships, it’s good for the world around me. The same can be said for all of us! In all that we do, why not be our best and rock it?! Especially when it makes the world a better place!
What makes you feel fully alive? The world needs people who are excited, passionate, alive, and pursuing their greatest joys. I think it’s worth mentioning that sometimes your calling pays your bills, and sometimes it does not. If you aren’t lucky enough to get paid to do what you love to do that is AOK! It might even be better to keep your calling separate from your bank account. Often our greatest callings are the relationships we hold most sacred and we certainly don’t pull a pay check from being the best spouse, parent, friend, child, or sibling we can be.
So the simple answer to Ellie’s question is that focusing on your dreams, living according to your passion, and being fully YOU is the best way to focus on God. By living your best life, fully alive, you are making the world a better place!
