The more completely you commit your heart to God, the more completely the desires of your heart mirror God’s desire and plan for your life.
Another word for heart is passion. Passions are desires or purposes that bring us joy. There are certain subjects you feel passionate about and others you couldn’t care less about. Some experiences turn you on and captures your attention while others turn you off or bore you to tears. These reveal the nature of your heart.
If passion is from God that means there is no wrong passion but any passion can be used wrongly. Understanding your own heart or passion better will help you narrow down where you should serve.
- If you are passionate about something, it will motivate you to take action.
- The church is like a puzzle which is completed when each part serves.
Heart = Passion & Motivation
HEART / pASSION
Definition
- Passion is the God-given desire that compels us to make a difference in a particular ministry.
Characteristics
- Passion comes from God.
- There is no right or wrong Passion.
- Passion answers the “Where” question.
The next step is to take the Passion Assessment. This assessment will help you think about and identify your unique passion.
As you take this assessment please consider the three ways in which your heart or passion is directed:
- A passion for a role (what you like to do)
- A passion for a specific people (whom you like to help)
- A passion for a cause (what you would like to see changed.)
PASSION ASSESSMENT
An important part of discovering your God given SHAPE is understanding your Passion. When you have a Passion for an area of ministry, you are more enthusiastic and motivated to serve.
Directions
1. Prayerfully consider your answers to the questions.
2. Complete the assessment on your own.
3. There are no rights or wrong responses.
4. Don’t be concerned about “whether” you can do it or “how” it can be done.
5. Complete the assessment as if you have no obstacles to fulfilling your heart’s desire.
Questions
1. If I could snap my fingers and know that I couldn’t fail, what would I do?
2. At the end of my life, I’d love to be able to look back and know that I’d done something about:
3. If I were to mention your name to a group of your friends, what would they say you were really interested in or passionate about?
4. What conversation would keep you talking late into the night?
At this point, if you are able to describe your Passion in a word or brief sentence, go to Item 10 of this assessment and do so. If you would like more clarification, consider the following statements.
5. What I would most like to do for others is:
6. The people I would like to help most are:
Infants, Children, Youth, Teen moms, Single parents, College students, Divorced, Widowed, Singles,
Career women, Young marrieds, Refugees, Parents, Empty nesters, Homeless, Unemployed, Elderly, Disabled,
Prisoners, Poor, Hospitalized , Others:_____________
7. The issues or causes I feel strongly about are:
Environment, Child care, Homosexuality, Discipleship, AIDS, Politics, Violence, Injustice, Racism
Education, Addictions, International, Economic, Reaching the lost, Technology, Health care, Poverty, Family
Abortion, Hunger, Literacy, Church, Others: _____________
8. The following exercise may help you uncover a theme from your experience which will give you insight into your Passion.
List the top five to seven positive experiences you’ve had in your life and briefly describe what you did and why it was meaningful to you.
These experiences may have taken place at home, work, school, or during your free time. It may have been a clock you fixed or a dress you made. It may have been a puzzle you put together or an award you received. It may have been helping some friends move, building a house, winning an election, or giving to someone in need. Remember, these are experiences that you enjoyed doing and felt fulfilled.
Five to Seven Positive
Experiences |
Why This Experience Is
Meaningful To Me |
a. |
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b. |
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c. |
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d. |
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e. |
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f. |
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g. |
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Next, read through what you have written and look for an underlying theme. If one or two come to mind, write them in the space below.
Summary
9. I think the area where I could make the most significant contribution is:
If you need more help in identifying your Passion, look for patterns in your answers. For example, can you see any themes? Does a particular age group keep coming up? Is there a need that keeps surfacing? Are you serving in a similar role in different areas? Can you prioritize your concerns?
Conclusion
10. Based on my answers to the above questions, I sense I have a Passion for:
Making a statement of Passion is not easy for everyone. Remember that this is just the beginning of the process of identifying and clarifying your Passion. As you think, pray, and gain more ministry experience, your Passion will become clearer over time.
PASSION CLARIFICATION
EXAMPLES -
TED
has a Passion for [children] young /single parent / problems
SUE
Has a Passion for [reaching the lost] all / family members / friends / neighbors & coworkers – especially young people. Now write your Passion…
I have a Passion for [_______________] _____________ / _____________
HUDDLE GROUP – TO HELP CLARIFY YOUR PASSION
Directions
1. Quickly explain your Passion to each other.
2. Group members ask questions to help that person gain a clearer understanding of his or her Passion.
3. Use the worksheet above to note key words or phrases that clarify you Passion.
Wrap-Up
Write your heart / passion in your S.H.A.P.E. Profile
SUMMARY - c onsider the three ways in which your heart or passion is directed:
A passion for a role (what you like to do)
A passion for a specific people (whom you like to help)
A passion for a cause (what you would like to see changed.) |
