“Make your vacation your vocation.”

That’s the advice that I received many years ago from a leader that I had come to respect. In this nugget of wisdom, he’s not talking about goofing off, or trying to make a living doing nothing. Rather, he’s talking about finding a way to make a living pursuing the things that you’re passionate about.

Another great leader told me about how to discover the things that you’re passionate about. He asks, “What are the things that you are willing to stay up until 2:00 in the morning working on?”

For me that’s an easy one.

I’ve spent countless nights staying up way too late doing this blogging thing. I do it because I know that it has an impact on people’s lives. As I read the Bible, pray, and serve, I share the things that God is challenging me with. And I’ve heard over and over from readers about how it has challenged them to grow in Christ.

As a result of my blogging, I’ve been able to go on mission trips to Africa, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic. I’ve been challenged by myself (and God) to do certain local outreach and ministry work. And I’ve dug into the Word and prayed for deeper understanding and application of its Truth so that I can better learn how to live a sold-out Christian lifestyle.

And today, on my birthday, I’m starting a short vacation from work to join the Editorial Team of The High Calling (where I serve as the Social Media Editor) for a Writer’s Retreat at Laity Lodge.

I feel like I’m living the dream right about now!

There are a few things that I’ve learned about pursuing my passion that I wanted to share here today.

1. It’s a lot of work, so pace yourself. Because you are so passionate about certain things, it’s easy to overwhelm yourself with (good) tasks simply because you want to see something get accomplished. I’ve had to turn lots of really great things down so that I could maintain a healthy balance in my life and avoid burnout.
2. Make sure you have buy-in from the family. My wife would be the first one to tell you that this stuff keeps me really busy. But she’ll also tell you how excited she is to be a part of it and seeing God work through our family like this. Without this kind of commitment from the family, then your passion could become a serious wedge.
3. Don’t. Ever. Stop. There will be times that you’ll get discouraged and feel like you’re not making any progress or difference. If this is something that you are truly passionate about, then you must keep going. Even through the hard times. It’ll be worth it in the long-run.

I couldn’t feel more alive than I do right now, and I’m excited to see how God will continue to use me. I’ll keep pouring myself out, and praying that He fills it right back up.

What kinds of things that you are passionate about? How are you pursuing those things right now? What lessons have you learned along the way?