At first I never knew these were different things. I thought your calling would be always be a passion and your passion always be your calling, but I have found you can have both....and live both...but we have to understand the differences they entail and what they mean!
For me -- fitness, health, motivation has always been a passion. Something I have loved to do, a hobby to fill my time and spread joy and goodness; to take care of myself. And I thought that meant this was what I was intended to do for life.
But then I found a calling; motherhood.
I feel called to be a mom and as God has grown our family that calling is stronger than ever. My focus right now is how to ensure I'm doing the best at fulfilling this calling and raising these 3 little people while another one grows in my belly.
How do I raise them right? How do I make sure I teach them about love, kindness, Jesus, goodness? How do I balance individual time when they're all 3 so little and into the same things? How do I make sure I am being a great mom for them?
Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. Psalm 139:16
I love this verse, because it reminds me that God has their plan already laid out, He knows what they are destined for - my job is to help them keep their hearts pure and their eyes on Jesus. To be the example of Him they SEE on a daily basis. Which means I HAVE TO BE MY BEST SELF.
WOAH. That can be overwhelming -- I need to be like Jesus so my children know what that looks like. We can let that overwhelm us or we can take that as fuel to make sure we are living OUR BEST LIVES as OUR BEST SELVES.
Which is where my passion comes into play -- just because I am a mom doesn't mean my passions go out the door (I've been struggling with this balance lately but I'm on my way!) instead I'm learning to use them to be my best self for my kids.
Fitness, nutrition, personal growth --- are all habits that I am using in my daily life to be a better mom. It is definitely not easy to fit all these in everyday, life happens but when I make my passions a priority in my day; I am my best selves because I am taking care of me.
As mothers we tend to put our passions, hobbies, thoughts, ideas, aspirations to the side and focus on being mothers....but what if we started to INTERTWINE those? What if we used our passions and ideas, our hobbies to be BETTER moms?
Think about things that brought you joy, happiness, fulfillment before you had kids, when was the last time you did them? For me, it's the above items butfor you maybe it's reading, writing, gardening, running, scrapbooking, photography....what hobby have you forgot about?
I think it's time we as mommas dive back into those passions and make time for them whether the kids join us or not -- I know that those will bring joy, happiness and a fulfillment into your day that may be missing. And when you FILL YOUR CUP you will be able to pour into your kids with more energy, focus, tenderness and help them embrace those passions and aspirations that God has placed in their hearts....like He has placed in yours. <3
Not sure where to start? I'm a message away and would be happy to help you or checkout the Brittanie's Favorite Things page for books & music that have helped me navigate this journey of calling vs. passion!