"You may choose to look the other way but you can not say again that you did not know." - William Wilberforce

You know that passion you have...that thing that just stirs and consumes the inside you like a child in the womb...that wonderful and powerful thing gets in your blood and sends a shock wave to your heart? Do you ever feel overwhelmed by it? Defeated? Powerless to take hold of the passion inside you to make a move. I know I do. There are days I wake up...and I wonder what the heck am I doing? Am I doing something that really makes a difference? Is it the thing I have always longed to be a part? I think we all face those questions and we feel stretched and perplexed as to the outcome of our daily endeavors. I know there are moments when I am seeking to encourage someone or offer them hope they can take hold of and I walk away wondering whether the conversations I am a part of have enough substance or leave a profound effect.


William Wilberforce inspires me with the angst he felt and the passion he had to do what was right. He couldn't be put into a box by the British parliament but endeavored to fight for freedom for those in captivity, with great opposition, yet God was on his side and he won after many years of battling. I am sure there were many moments when he questioned the immense call he had on his life or at least was overwhelmed by it and pondered, if perhaps, he may not see the fruit of his labor and valiant efforts in his own lifetime. But he never gave up. He fought for what was right with the strength and the gift the Lord had given him, that gift was an ability to speak in a way that moved, engaged, and shook people to their core and over time altered history and changed lives. 
Philippians 4:13 says," I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength." On days like today though I feel powerless, I cannot live by how I feel. I reminded that it is Christ at work within me that gives strength every day of my life to do whatever it is I am designed to do and be. I am only one person, one vessel, yet Christ is in me and He gives me the passion and ability to do what pleases Him. Whether I see the fruit of my labor is not what is important. But living a life that glorifies Him, is true worship...that is worshiping in spirit and truth. Showing love and being love to hurting people. In the simplicities of this life and the conversations we have, how we react speaks rather loudly.  I know I won't always say the right thing, none one of us do, but I pray that it would be my purpose to be light and love so people may see Jesus and find the hope they truly long for.
So my encouragement today is to not give up...to trust God and ask for His strength in your daily endeavors as you pursue your deep core shaken passions...its only then that we can make the difference that matters. Embrace who you already are. Writer John Eldredge says what we need are more people who come alive...those are the ones who change the world. The more we know ourselves, the more we can impact others and hear the voices crying for change in the distance. Let us walk in who we already are and embrace the gifts God in strategically placed within each one of us....just like Wilberforce did.  


"I can do all things through Christ, who gives me strength." -Phil. 4:13

 "It is a sad fate for a man to die too well known to everybody else, and still unknown to himself." - Francis Bacon