DAD: "I am pretty sure once we get him back here he will be able to settle down into a good job and he'll be fine."
YOUNG MAN: "Well what is Steven's (not his real name) passion? Does he have any idea?
DAD: "Passion? Passion! Does it have to be about passion? All I want him to do is to do what he's supposed to do. To get a good job, to take care of his wife, to raise a family. We never even thought about passion."
YOUNG MAN: "I just think unless he is doing something that he is passionate about he won't be happy. He won't be able to sustain himself. He won't be able to stay in it for the long term. And so he will continue to flounder."
I hear this conversation over and over. It seems like as we travelled this summer I kept hearing these thoughts.
It took on different forms. From BABY-BOOMERS I would hear - "Ok, I am so done with this day to day stuff. I never thought it would be like this. I anticipated a higher sense of satisfaction and accomplishment."
or "I thought it was about the money or things, but now I realize I just want to come home, sit on the deck with a few friends, or just watch football."
From BABY-BUSTERS I hear them saying: "I just want to be able to play with my kids."
or "I would like to try being Mr. Mom for a year or so."
or "I am tired of working for someone else, I just want to branch out on my own and start a ________________ (coffeehouse, small law firm, bookstore, music store, etc)."
From MILLENNIALS I hear: "I had this job, but it just wasn't my passion so I quit."
or "I have a lot of opportunities right now, but I don't want to do anything until I know for sure it is the right thing."
or "I just want to experience more of life before I have to settle down."
I think Boomers (and I 'are' one)wanted independence before all things. We were convinced that our parents never 'got-it'. So whether it was the 'radical burn down the establishment' mentality, or the 'I just gotta get a job' focus - we jumped out of college and jumped into the marketplace. And started our family, which might have broken down our idealism a bit. But we were paying bills, buying cars, using credit and seeking to enjoy life. So where was our faith? Well even though we might have had a strong firm commitment to Christ in the 70's now we relegated ourselves to just going... To church, to promisekeepers events, to women's bible studies, etc. And unfortunately a level of complacency set in.
When I think about Busters I realize things began to change in these years. All of a sudden a college degree was less influential than it had been before, people wanted and needed a masters degree or doctoral degree. The world got smaller. Travel was easier and more affordable. Money was more available. They experienced the world at younger levels. Both in all of it's diversity and in its conformity. They wanted more things, better things, acquiring them faster.
But loyalty decreased. Professional athletes changed teams practically every year! So why should the Busters stay with a company for a lifetime. In fact there was a large amount of corporate distrust, so to save their lives they needed to keep looking around for protection but also for more. Authenticity was the evaluation word for religion and churches for Busters. Small groups & house churches increased, but also Mega-Churches. This was also the age when many prominent pastors were noticed for their moral failure (similar to corporate distrust). We wanted authenticity, but we lacked discipline to grow in God.
Finally the Millennials, this current generation, they would be about 24 yrs old down to about 5, now. So what are some of the signs: graduate from high school and stay home, go to community college (and a guaranteed admission into a state school in 2 years), less affluent, awareness of the brokenness of society: war, racism, religious & sexual bigotry, pornography, The Cosby Show vs. Modern Family, The GONG Show vs. American Idol. And in the midst of this confusion and loss of roles there is this desire to "Follow your Passion"! Worship, Church & ministry has become program or theme driven. "My youth group takes me to the Domincan Republic (either to the beach or to build churches or both), and we have 1000 at our "mid-week" or "Shack127" or whatever clever name we can come up with. Faith is expressed by branding and marketing.
So what is my proposal: nothing has changed in 65 years. Being a follower of Christ is not just hard it is impossible. The "works" that were required in the 60's and 70's are the same today and our commitment to them will give us the same result.
1) Follow Christ
2) Read the Bible
3) Talk to God and listen to Him
4) Meet with other believers
5) Share what I am learning.
What are you keys to Passion?
