I was watching an episode of Modern Family recently. I don’t watch much television and this isn’t a show I necessarily follow, but I was out of town, it was the only thing I saw on, and I needed something mindless to unwind from a busy day.
The show certainly wouldn’t be the normal place to discover life or leadership advice, but in this episode a nugget principle struck me. It’s huge.
In this particular episode, Phil, the father of the main family, asked his father-in-law Jay for some business advice. He had been offered a new position with a company. It was a tremendous opportunity; a dream job for him, but Phil wasn’t sure he had the skills required for the job. He wanted to know Jay’s advice before he approached his wife about the situation.
Jay’s advice was classic; the kind only someone seasoned with life experience can usually offer. Jay simply asked Phil a question:
“What do you really want to do?”
As Phil pondered the answer, he knew what he had to do.
The question Jay asked is critical. It’s something everyone faces at various crossroads of life. It’s what you need to consider when you have a dream or a vision, but aren’t sure if how it will be received or if you really have what it takes to make the dream a reality.
Where’s your heart? What do you really want to do?
As with any dream:
There will be risks
You’ll be afraid
You may fail.
But, if you’re heart is in it. If God’s not against it. Most especially if God is calling you to it.
You need to follow your heart.
We typically follow most closely and passionately after those things which hold our heart.
You’ll typically find more success in life when you follow your heart.
Of course, this means you have to make sure your heart is pure, you are following after the right things in life, and you have an end desire to please Christ, but, after that, pursuing the dream of your heart will prevent you from living with one of life’s great disappointments… which is missing out on a dream because fear kept you from following through.
Don’t allow fear to be a roadblock to realizing the dreams of your heart.
Do you have any dreams you regret not pursuing?
Move and move now.
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for theLord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9
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Being really clear about what we do want in the most important role of our lives is key to our success because it creates a vivid picture of the worthwhile goals and objectives to pursue along our road of success. Powerful questions, Ron!
Amen. Love it.
As I read this post, I am reminded of Steve Jobs' speech of "Stay Hungry; Stay Foolish" —
"Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don't lose faith. I'm convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You've got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do.
If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don't settle."
A great reminder. Thanks Ron.
I love that
My pastor and mentor just suggested your blog to me today, and I was very encouraged to read this post from a pastor's perspective! We hear advice like this from professional motivators like Dan Miller or even Zig Ziglar but perhaps not enough from our pastors. The preaching I grew up around left me thinking that the "will of God" was some mysterious island I had to find or risk being miserable my whole life (this may also describe much preaching on Spiritual gifts)! As you posted, however, this does not have to be a mystical process. "What can you do (how has God gifted you)? What do you want to do (how has God directed your desires)?"
I'm almost 30, and I'm finally finding the courage to state and follow my passions (what I believe to be God's calling for me).
The posts I've read so far have been very helpful. Thanks for writing. I look forward to reading more!
Paul
Wow! What a pleasure your comment is. Thanks for the great encouragement.Dream big. God will still be dreaming bigger for your life.
That was indeed a very interesting question. I am not a follower of the show but your question stuck into me. There will always be those dreams that you regret not following but I am glad on here I am now.
Great, but how do we avoid 'following your heart' becoming self-indulgence? The Preface to the annual Covenant Service prayer in the (British) Methodist Church says this: 'Christ has many services to be done: some are easy, others are difficult; some bring honour, others bring reproach; some are suitable to our natural inclinations and material interests, others are contrary to both; in some we may please Christ and please ourselves; in others we cannot please Christ except by denying ourselves. Yet the power to do all these things is given to us in Christ, who strengthens us.'
As Ron says, that's an excellent question. I know one woman who insisted on "following her heart" and wound up dumping her husband and young son in order to do that — all the while encouraging the child to follow his heart — which has led to a rather self-indulgent, albeit very talented and personable, young man. Following our heart without following God can have a negative impact on future generations. I think we have to determine in our hearts what we want to do, then present that to the Lord and wait on Him. If it's His will, He will make it happen. If it isn't, He will change our hearts to want what He wants. My personal experience has been that when that happens, we realize that there's nothing else we'd rather do.
Excellent! But how is it that we BOTH blogged the same thing today? ARE you bugging my MacBook?
Dude we are twins of another mother.
As an executive coach, I'm always looking for questions like the one Jay asked Phil. So powerful and laser like.
The client is brilliant.
p.s. My favorite show of only two or three I "have" to watch each week.
Thank you Steve. Are you taking new clients and do you coach pastors? I'm constantly asked and not able to commit much time to that right now.