IS YOUR MUSIC STILL IN YOU

A Porsche With A Lawn Mower Engine:

When you don’t combine your passion with your work, it’s like putting a lawn mower engine in a Porsche. Yes, it will move along, but you’ll be in danger once you get in traffic and you’ll certainly never experience the speed, the elegant maneuverability, and all the other things Porsches are specifically design to do.

Genesis 1:26 tells us that God created man in His image. When we’re not true to ourselves, we lose the power of authenticity, imagination, and innovation with which He made us. Our lives become performance-based, setting the stage for compromise in all areas. Currently, I’m working with a high-level financial executive who, after 26years with the same company, is being “invited” to leave.

Now he’s trying to catch up with new opportunities because for more than a quarter-century, as he says, “I’ve had my head down and pencil up.” I also recently spoke with a young man who has a history of starting businesses that, in his words, “have nothing to do with my passion.” And he wonders why it’s such struggle to make those enterprises work.

Then there was a dentist who, after years of growing frustration, told me, “I just keep getting better at what I intend to get out of.” If you relate to such feelings, take a moment and do some self-inventory – as yourself a few questions about how you think:

• What things might be blocking you from finding your passion and/or integrating it into your life and work?
• Is responsible work suppose to be stifling? Do you see it as only a means to a paycheck?
• Does fulfilling God’s will always mean sacrificing your true passions?
• If you following your calling will your income drop dramatically?
• Would unleashing your “music” really cause you to suddenly become irresponsible, impractical, and unrealistic?

Now consider this: What if we have a choice? Perhaps the realities of life don’t need to pull us away from our strongest passions but, rather, can push us toward them. And what if the release of that unique “music” in you were to engage your deepest passions, utilize your strongest areas of competence, and display God’s purpose for your life?

Augustine once said, “To work is to pray.” Does this describe how you feel about your job—that it’s a prayer offering to God? The idea may seem odd if you think of prayer only as something we do on our knees. But if we recognize it as a time of being present with the Lord, then our work can engage our hearts and spirits in a way that places us in His presences.

Closed And Open Doors:

The drastic economic changes resulting in the sudden loss of jobs are causing many people to think they’ve failed. But what if such an unexpected closing door is really a necessary step toward finding your music? Without experiencing inevitable “failures”—things that go differently than planned—we rarely reach our full potential.

A world-class golfer doesn’t become great without hitting a lot of balls into the lake. Most people don’t find that “perfect job” before going through a few initial disappointments. And on a larger scale, we know through Scripture that faith rarely matures and deepens unless the believer encounters radical uncertainties and grapples with doubts and trails.

I think we need to change our definition of “failure.” In reality, it seldom means the end of hope. Rather, I believe it’s a needed and often healthy part of the process toward becoming the person we were created to be.

Several years ago, I had the privilege of talking with Dave Anderson, founder of Famous Dave’s restaurants. Having grown in poverty in Chicago and on an Ojibwe reservation, he had determined as a kid that he would find a way t become wealthy and never again has to deal with the difficulty of his childhood. Yet he found that as long as he pursued money as his objective, it remained elusive and just out of reach.

With the eventual failure of his initial goal, however, he decided to quit focusing on making money. Instead, he turned everything over to God and began to concentrate on doing exceptionally what he most enjoyed—which was, as you might guess, perfecting the art of barbeque.

The financial gains of his business came secondarily and never eclipsed his goals of maintaining excellence and inspiring people. Today, he’s accomplished much more than founding a successful franchise and creating over 20,000 jobs. Not only has he brought change to struggling communities and served in advisory positions to two U.S. presidents and three governors; he is also a visionary philanthropist who has influenced thousands of young people through the LifeSkills Center, his students leadership non-profit.

We usually dismiss our “day dreams”—even the ones that come from our inner most selves—as just random thoughts passing through our brains. Should we pay attention to those “dreams,” or just hunker down and be “realistic” and “practical,” considering the shape the economy is in? With jobs vanishing, homes being foreclosed, billions of dollars going up in smoke, and industries teetering on the brink of disaster, surely now isn’t the time to dream. Or is it?

Recently I read about fascinating inventions coming out of the slums in Nairobi, Kenya. The heading on the story said, “When you have nothing anything is possible.” Haven’t you experienced in your life how those times of trial often release your most creative ideas? Aren’t some of our best ideas born of problems? The truth is that our “day dreams” are not always frivolous; they’re often the seeds of inventive solutions that can change live—and not just our own.

Reawakening Your DNA:

This is a time for hope, not despair. Circumstances beyond one’s control might lead to losing a job and maybe even a home, but losing hope is a choice. I’m not talking about denying reality; I’m encouraging you to open your eyes to the possibilities for creating a better reality than you currently see.

If you lose hope, you won’t be looking for new solutions—and will miss them even if they pass right in front of your nose. So, focus on what you’re moving to, not what you’re moving from. Why not take the opportunity to acknowledge those talents and gifts God has given you and ask Him what He would have you do with them? Change—even when unwelcome or unexpected—often wakes up the music that has been sleeping inside us.

I’ve seen doctors move to the country to take up organic gardening, pastors find fulfilling careers as artists, and housewives emerge from the years of raising children to release their gifts in writing and counseling. What makes you enthusiastic?

The word enthusiasm actually comes from the Greek en theos, which literally means “God in us.” It’s something that comes from deep within and connects us to that which is meaningful, purposeful, and eternal.

As Frederick Buechner said, “The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s hunger meet.” Ask yourself, What is the world hungering for right now? How can I use my unique gifts and enthusiasm to satisfy that hunger? Don’t stop seeking until you find the answer. There may be a door you can’t see now that God is waiting to open for so go ahead: Knock.

Don’t forget to take the “Taking Inventory” excise below:

• What do I really love to do (and when I’m doing it, time just flies by)?
• What is my greatest contribution to others?
• What did I enjoy as a child but was told it was unrealistic or impractical to focus on as a career?
• If money were not important, what kind of work would I spend time doing?
• What are the recurring themes in life that I find myself drawn to?
• How do I want to be remembered?

This article was written by: Dan Miller and he was kind enough to let me share it with you. I hope you enjoyed reading it. I look forward to reading your comments.

I recommend you get his book, “No More Mondays”.

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