On Fridays I usually have a Weekend Fun post. For this month, I’m combining that post with the Blog-tember Challenge.
Blog-tember Challenge prompt: What are you passionate about?
My faith and owning it. I learned the hard way that we don’t necessarily own our faith. Even the tallest tree has branches that shake in the storm and the strongest plant bends in the wind. I thought I had a pretty strong faith until the worst storm blew into my life. God’s children’s are not exempted from bad things, but we can trust God to use the bad things for His glory and our benefit.
It’s also in the midst of the bad things that we can lose faith. That’s how I learned that I need to own my faith. To make it really mine. To be selfish with my relationship with God. To be rebellious if other Christians tell me to do something that I know can turn into a stumbling block in my spiritual walk. Because at the end of it all, it’s not going to matter if I obeyed people, well-meaning Christians though they may be. All that will matter is my relationship with God and if I did all I could to nourish it.
Dreaming big. Dreaming God-sized dreams. I am passionate about dreaming big and dreaming God-sized dreams because God does not promise okay and good enough futures.
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11, NIV)
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8-9, NIV).
These two verses remind me that we are in the hands of a great big God who thought up everything, including our purpose and future. Yet He also gave us free will and will not force His plans on us. We need to live by faith and follow Him into that prosperous and hope-filled future.
We need to trust that what He plans is grander than what we can come up with. We need to dream big and dream God-sized dreams because when we do, we will live by faith and see God at work in our everyday lives. Why? Because we can’t achieve those big God-sized dreams all on our own.
Self-care. As someone who’s gone through burn out, I am passionate about self-care. It’s important to learn the signs of stress on your body and act accordingly.
Creativity and imagination. I believe in engaging your imagination and finding a creative outlet for your life. May it be from absorbing something or from creating something. I like to watch musicals, read, and visiting museums (those are absorbing something). I also like to write, draw, knit, and cook (creating something).
Try one of these 12 ways to sharpen your creativity, or use a pet to foster a love of reading.
Writing. Even though it’s engaging the imagination and a creative outlet, it deserves to have its own mention! I’m going to try a modified bullet journaling by mixing it with a “These are the days of” list. I hope this will help organize my days and thoughts.
Children. I wouldn’t be in kidmin if I wasn’t passionate about kids and teaching them about Jesus. I have a God-sized dream to write children’s books that engage their imaginations and point them to God.
This is a funny list about children’s ministry leaders.
How cool that you get to serve in children’s ministry when that’s an area that really uses a lot of your passions (creativity, faith, and children combined!).
Yes, I’m very grateful!