This Is The Dayનમૂનો

Taking Risks for the Sake of Your Passion

“What about baseball?” 

The next few seconds of awkward silence were painful. I was in a room of agents and family members, discussing what direction my career should go since it had been eighteen months since an NFL team asked me if I’d play quarterback for them.

I’m sure my agents wondered why someone who was voted a few years earlier as one of the most popular athletes in America would back his way down to the low-end minor leagues in a sport he hadn’t played since high school. Someone even asked, “Why would you humiliate yourself like that?” 

What can I say? It mattered more what was in my heart than what others wanted me to do. Whenever I would think about the dream of baseball, I’d get excited.  And I had long ago determined that my identity is not centered on being a professional athlete but in who I am in Jesus. 

Before I told everyone in that conference room I wanted to pursue this dream, I had prayed about the decision. I can’t tell you I had full assurance that this was exactly something God wanted me to do. There might be a ton of Christians out there who feel that God tells them exactly what to do. I’m not one of them. I know my ultimate purpose in life is to love God and love others. I believe I can do that while I pursue other things I’m passionate about, like sports. 

Are you hearing any whispering in your heart? I believe God plants these aspirations in us for a reason. Passion in this sense is more than just a superficial feeling. It’s deep, almost inexplicable. And it’s something people can’t take away. 

You might have a passion to follow a dream, to start your own company, to rally a community together for a cause. It’s important to have the courage to pursue what’s in your heart if it lines up with what the Bible teaches. Pray about it. Seek wise counsel. Don’t be afraid to take a risk. Don’t let fear, criticism, or doubt cripple you from making a decision. 

Even if the stakes are high and the naysayers loud, don’t let that stop you from being committed to the journey God has you on.

What are you willing to risk to follow a dream or a passion in your heart?