What Do YOU Love?

What do you really love to do?

It's a question we ask young adults often.  We follow up with advice like, "Find a way to do what you love and you'll never work a day in your life."  Which sounds like wisdom but isn't completely accurate.  

Even what we love doing will have its days that require disciplined focus and consistency.  Some days will push us to the limit because we love our work.  It's just the reality of life.

Perhaps we should not reserve that question for addressing only young adults.  Someone recently asked me, "Sheri, what is it that you really love doing?"   Without a moment's hesitation I answered, "Encouraging!" 

Whether it's teaching a class, listening to a younger minister, being excited with a grandchild or writing.  I find that my own heart is more satisfied when I am able to encourage someone else.

This past month I had a great time teaching a connect group at our church. It was a mixed group of men and women: some married and some single.  The topic was the wonderful book by Gary Chapman entitled, The Five Love Languages. 

Dr. Chapman takes the complicated subject of how to best communicate love and appreciation; making it a more manageable objective.  I spent long hours preparing for my fifty minute class.  There were handouts to prepare and material I needed to study in more detail if I was going to explain it clearly.  

And of course, it would be impossible to cover all the fantastic material in three short classes.  So, I had to carefully determine what to  highlight and what to exclude.  In the end, we laughed together, cried a bit and learned a lot about ourselves and those around us.  

For me, the win came when several in the group described how it encouraged them to work harder at the important relationships in their lives.  SCORE!

Another friend asked me today, "Why haven't you been writing as much?  I love reading your blog, it always encourages me."  So, here I am.  working on the "consistency" part of what I love doing.

It's not a lengthy, earth-shaking treatise.  But hopefully it will cause you to stop for just a moment and ask yourself, "What do I love doing?"  If you've gotten slack with discipline or focus, let me encourage you - get to it.  

Someone is waiting for the gift you bring to the world.