Take a left on Gifts Street.
Continue until you hit Passions Avenue.
I talked to someone the day after I posted in response to Traci's post. They made some statement about me wanting to quit my job. I don't think I said that in my post, but maybe that is how it read. Also, Patrick asked why I feel that security in my job is a bad thing. I don't think I said that either.
The struggle I was trying to explain is that I work for an incredible company doing a job that I do not feel I was made to do. It seems like the the goal should be to evaluate my gifting and passions, and to find a way to convince someone to pay me for doing something where they intersect. My current position is not at the corner of Gifts Street and Passions Avenue. This is where the struggle comes in.
I do not typically define myself by my job. Since, I know that I am not doing the job God made me to do1, it makes it easy for me to view it as the thing that provides me with the funds and flexibility to do the things I feel I am better gifted for and more passionate about outside of work.
So, if an opportunity presented its self for me to move toward a new career path, one that would better fit my gifts and passions, would I be willing to give up the security I have in the job that I currently have for something that is almost certain to be less secure? That's what I was trying to say last time. Not that I do not want security or that I want to quit my job.
- back I do not dispute the fact that God can use me where I am. So, don't read that into my statement.
posted by Shannon Smith @ 9/03/2007
10 Comments
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10 Comments:
Great explanation. You are right on in trying to find the intersection of your giftings and passions. I'm impressed and encouraged with your questions. Like I said before I don't think God is opposed to security in itself. I believe He disaproves of security when it gets in the way of obedience.
Hey Shannon
I've been trying to get back into the blog world over the weekend, and I'm realizing that blogs often prove we are not great listeners/readers.
Thanks for clearing up what you intended to say. I think you see and take advantage of the opportunities in your current role.
A few questions--
What do you think you would rather be doing?
How do you go about discerning that already?
What are the things in you/around you that are leading you to think about doing something different?
What expectations do you have of the other role?
I'd love to talk about this with you sometime as I am getting to know you more
Corey,
That makes 3/4 of your family that has asked the same question. I am working on a post that explains where I am at as far as what I think I would rather be doing.
Stay tuned.
see, that proves my point about not being good listeners/readers
or... the paxtons are on the hot trail, and my dad will probably post the same thing soon...
then...danielle
then...hannah
then...shiloah
hopefully, you will be leading scuba excursions off the coast of jamaica by the time she can write though... (as I'm sure that is the direction you are leaning toward)
Wow!
Shannon, God really needs to intersect our paths sometime soon. I think we must be drinking the same kool-aid or something.
I am so right there with you on this. God has given me a great job that I'm good at, but I do not love it. I have to work hard to sort-of like it. I even have a pretty good ministry to some of the young guys here, and yet I consistently ask the Lord to give me a job that I will love to do.
It's a sticky spot, and I wish I had more wisdom in this area.
Rob Bell says my purpose in life is to do whatever I have to do in order to be fully alive.
I feel like this job drains the life out of me, and quenches my passions; yet this is the job God has given for this season.
So now what?
Darn you Rob! Darn you!!!
sounds like you are working through things wonderfully.
we are supposed to have lunch this week.
just call me.
Not that I am killing time at work (hey, it's lunch time) but I have been trying to get your blog added to google reader and it just will not work.
http://kimandshannon.com/blog/ creates a blank rss feed
and http://kimandshannon.com/blog/index.html says loading for about ten minutes but never loads.
You are the genius with this stuff, any ideas?
Do you have a secret blogger address I could try? Haha.
Try this:
http://kimandshannon.com/blog/feeds/atom.xml
Sorry. No 's'. feed not feeds.
http://kimandshannon.com/blog/feed/atom.xml
gosh you have no idea how much i identify with this post...
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