Lighting Fires

One of the worst feelings in the world is the feeling that you have no purpose. You do things that matter – or not; you eat, work, browse the internet, study, speak throughout the day but get into bed at night and wonder why you did any of it. You feel like you’re drifting, being pushed along the currents of life by the expectations of others and the responsibilities that come with being a human. You may have begun by doing something you love, but even that has lost its color and become just another responsibility to accomplish. The continual question that haunts each of us bursts forward whenever your mind is free enough – why? Why? Why? Why do I still do this? Why does this matter to me? Why do I keep going day after day, still existing on this planet, heart beating, mind working, but the zeal is gone?

What is my purpose?

Everyone yearns for a purpose in life, a motive for getting up in the morning, a reason to keep going, a light of accomplishment at the end of the dark tunnels they may be going through. We need a purpose, a reason, a motive, or we starve. We become empty shells, automatons going through the motions of life but dead inside, only glowing embers left of the roaring fire which once burned inside our souls. And if we aren’t careful, those embers will eventually wink out, and it will take an act of God and combined efforts of those around us to bring it back to life.

This makes it one of the most important things we can do, to keep our fires lit within us. Our passions are the sparks we need, the tongs that stoke our fires, the fuel that feeds us. This alone makes feeding our passions vital to our survival, but there’s more. Passions don’t come out of nowhere; few people (if any) wake up one morning and decide that they love writing or drawing, baking or building. Passions are instilled into the fibers of your being by God, and they lead you to your purpose, the reason for your existence on this earth.

I’ve talked about passions and purpose before, so it’s not necessary to go over it again. I know that passions and purpose are hard to keep up in ‘the real world,’ where it doesn’t matter what you love with every atom of your being if it doesn’t bring in anything above minimum wage and it doesn’t matter if you’re in a job or career you hate as long as it gives you enough to keep from starvation. It’s no easy task, to keep a fire alive that’s constantly drenched in the harsh truth of reality, whether it be financial, physical, mental, emotional, relational, or any other sort of obstacles. But that doesn’t change the fact that this fire is vital to your being, and if you let it die out, so much of what makes up who you are will perish.

It affects those around you as well. Friends, parents, children, all watch to see where your priorities lie. They sometimes recognize what keeps your fire blazing better than you do yourself, and they judge how important it is to you – and some of them will begin to imitate you. If you neglect your art, they may begin to neglect their music. If you put aside your handiwork in favor of more immediate funds, they may keep their own projects from you for fear you will disapprove of their ‘wasted’ time. If you hide away a gift that is meant to be shared, they may hide their own. This is not to blame any of this on you – they may not even recognize your influence in the decision, but it is there nevertheless. And what a dark, dark world we would live in, if everyone extinguished their fires to make a living!

What fire has been lit inside of you, and its burning fuels you? Have you been keeping it under wraps, hoping that the exact right time to reveal it will present itself sooner or later? Have you been stifling it, dismissing it as stupid or unnecessary? Have you allowed it to die out, and now you aren’t even sure how to bring it back to life? Have you not found it yet, still wandering the darkness with a match hoping to happen upon the place to set ablaze? Are you one of the brave sojourners who has chosen to fan their passion into a bonfire, illuminating all around them? Wherever you may be, whatever state your fire is in, remember that it is allowed to die no further. The world needs every spot of light it can get, and your flare may be a beacon to those around you, a signal to spark their own, until the whole world is ablaze. All it takes is another spark – and who knows? It may be yours that the world is waiting on. I beg you - rekindle it!