Prioritizing Our Passions
Indianapolis First Friends Quaker Meeting
Pastor Bob Henry
September 4, 2022
Job 37: 14-16
Hear this, Job.
Pause where you are, and ponder the wonders of God.
Do you know how God orchestrates these marvels?
How He makes the clouds flash with lightning?
Do you know how those same clouds are hung up in the sky or how they move?
Do you know the wonders of God, who is perfect in His knowledge of such things?
Last week, I preached on the query, “What is your why?” and we also looked at the Japanese term, ikigai, which translated means “a reason for being.” I said the inspiration was Beth’s sermon the week prior on the difference between passion and obsessions.
I believe exploring our why is a first step in looking at our passions. This week, since we were supposed to be out in nature and in a different setting, I wanted us, like Job in our text, to be encouraged to “pause where we are and ponder the wonders of God” – and to realize the importance of getting a new perspective on helping us explore our passions, beliefs, and purposes.
Just being in the meditational woods (or an outdoor setting) can provide for us a new perspective, I hope sometime later this week you will get take the opportunity to step outside and ponder this message.
Most of us at First Friends live in an urban environment instead of a rural one, and technology or our jobs keep us indoors most of the time. This means we are simply less healthy due to our withdrawal from the great outdoors.
The good news is that by taking even the smallest steps (like reading a book on our patio, or taking a stroll around the local park, even worshiping outside once and a while) we can improve our body, mind, heart, and soul.
Also, whether we’re the ‘outdoorsy type’ or not, nature has a lot to teach us about pursuing our greatest life, outside or otherwise.
I know for me, when I am stuck on a sermon, or some project I am working on, I head out and take a walk around my neighborhood. I don’t put my Airpods in my ears to listen to a book or music, and I turn off the ringer on my phone.
As I walk, I allow nature to speak to me. I allow my mind to be cleared, and seek to see things that I might not when just taking a walk.
I might watch the ducks in our pond or the majestic gray heron trying to catch a fish, sometimes I watch the playfulness of a squirrel or the slow pace of a turtle. I love to take in the cloud formations, the changing leaves, and even how the wind blows through the trees.
Different perspectives inspire me, offer me new opportunities, and even introduce me to new possibilities. Often after my walk, I can come back to my work with a new clarity and purpose.
Also, during the summer we learn that what we choose to do on our off time or vacation, and what we think about while on holidays, indicates what we are passionate about in life. It often takes getting out of the routine of our lives and the spaces we frequent to see and experience new perspectives.
This is why as a family, Sue, me, and the boys have always loved road trips – short weekend ones or longer vacation road trips. When the stress of life, school, ministry, and teaching would get the best of us, Sue would often say, I think we need to get out of town.
In Oregon we lived about an hour from the coast. Often after church we would drive to the coast simply to walk the beach and watch the sunset before heading into a new week. I think that is one thing we miss the most from our time in Oregon.
But we do similar things here when our weeks get stressful. For me, I like to take a break during my week and head out into our meditational woods. I love to sit and listen to the waterfall, the rustling of the trees, and watch all the wildlife.
On the weekends, Sue will research a place for us to go take a walk, this past week we drove to Zionsville to Starkey Nature Park and took a 2 mile walk through the beautiful woods and along the river.
Nature or the wilderness clears our minds, get us off our phones, and reconnects us with our breathing and listening – and it also encourages us to remember our purpose and rejuvenate our passions.
What I have found is that when we are relaxed, in new surroundings, or observing life from a different perspective, we find that many of our interests and dreams easily surface. Some of Sue and my best conversations, decisions, even plans have come during road trips or walks in nature.
A few months ago, Eric Baker started a group that does “walk and talk meet ups.” They take walks in green spaces specifically to dialogue and discuss current issues. There is a beautiful connection to nature and working through our struggles.
All this kind of reminds me of things we see happening in the bible. Take for example the biblical character of Moses. He had a passion for helping the suffering Hebrew people, but to accomplish his passions he first had to spend time in the desert where God would get him ready to go to their rescue. God thought Moses needed a different perspective to be the most effective.
As well, the Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness where he was challenged to hone his passions and establish his purposes. When he came out of the wilderness, he began preaching and teaching his message of hope.
This morning, I was hoping to be out in nature, and getting a different perspective just by being out there, but that may have to come later. Let’s be flexible this morning and continue the following exercise I had planned.
We started last week in looking at our why or ikigai, and this week, I want to challenge us to take some more time in doing what is called “passion-prioritizing.”
Beliefnet.com offered the following exercise that has helped me, and I would like to share it with you this morning.
Beliefnet.com believes the end-of-summer is the perfect time to get our passions in order. Warm weather makes us either wilt in the heat or chase after every dream we ever had because the back-to-business seriousness of fall and winter are coming.
So here is the exercise. (Take out the green insert in your bulletin,)
1. Start by making a list of your current passions.
One might be a hobby.
One might be a relationship.
One might be a dream.
2. Next to each passion, write down whether or not you think you have to suffer for it.
Are your fingers nicked from failed attempts to accomplish a perfectly julienned carrot?
Does your significant other drive you crazy?
Are you wrestling with the title for the short story you’ve been sweating over?
3. Ask yourself if each passion is worth it.
Looking at your list, are there any that no longer give you that spark of excitement, curiosity, drive, and life force that they once did?
Passions that once consumed us might suddenly no longer rank. That’s ok, letting go of an old passion can free you up for a new one.
I’m curious to know what’s left on your list, and why you still endure your passions. Or, do you disagree with the notion of passion’s inherent connection with suffering?
Are your passions more purely joyful than deliciously difficult?
These are some good queries for us to ponder this morning.
So, as we head into waiting worship, take this time to gain a new perspective. Take this time to answer the queries I just posed and see what passions arise in your hearts and which you may want to let go.
If you feel led to share or God puts something on your heart for the Meeting, please step up to one of the microphones at the front or back of the Meetinghouse.
Let’s take this time this morning.