Protecting Your Passion

What’s your passion that makes your mind instantly go spinning when you think about it? What is it that excites your soul so much that you can feel you were MEANT to do it? What is it that you can’t help but smile when you think about it because it’s so special to you? It’s almost like your baby, you want to protect it by all means.

Well for me, teaching has been my passion. Fresh out of college, and I landed my dream job as a 2nd grade teacher. Ever since I was a little girl, I knew I wanted to teach, I knew I wanted to be a teacher. I played teacher all the time and it came naturally. As I’m teaching my babies (my students) most days, it doesn’t even feel like work. I love pouring love into them and watching them grow mentally and scholastically.

Often, I think back to how many people told me not be a teacher. I’ve heard it all, “Teachers don’t make any money”, “Teacher’s are overworked and underpaid”, “The school system is failing”, and the list goes on. I use to get so angry during my student teaching years when veteran teachers use to ask me, “Are you sure this is what you want to do? Don’t do it.”

I was so passionate and determined to be a great teacher and it’s like the world was pouring venom on my baby. (my passion—teaching.)

Then, fast forward and now that I am a a first year teacher, I can’t explain the joy my babies bring to my heart when I see their little bodies walk in the classroom in the morning. When I hear them tell me good morning with a burst of light in their eyes, and lastly, hearing their small but powerful voices tell me they love me, those are all my affirmations that I’m doing exactly what I’m meant to be doing.

But  I will admit, it’s challenging. Because I am so passionate about teaching, I am very hard on myself. I want to be the best teacher I can be and I want my babies learning. I take everything to heart.

So guess what…

The one day of my career, I felt everything was falling apart, I felt discouraged and didn’t feel like a good teacher… As I thought my day couldn’t get any worse, in walks in my assistant principal to observe me for my first teacher observation.

Let’s just say because I was already stressed, discouraged, and not having the best day, I didn’t perform as great as I would have liked. After he left, I cried and cried.

Here I was, living my passion, and I felt like I was failing at my passion. What I was so passionate about, I didn’t understand why I felt like I wasn’t excelling at it. That day, it broke my heart because I could feel my passion being tampered on.

Protect your passion at all costs. What you’re passionate for,  didn’t just come from you. God created you to be passionate for whatever it is that excites your soul like no other. Hang on to that burst of fire you have. I promise, the enemy will come in and try to steal, kill, and destroy your passion. He will come in disguises trying to bruise your passion and make you lose that fire. You need to protect your passion like it’s your child, like your baby. Your passion is your power. Your passion is where your power stems from. Protect it.

Protecting it may mean, you have to know when to block out the voices of others. Even if a person has a high title, years of experience , and seems to have much wisdom, if that person is bruising your passion, you have to learn when to tune that out.

If you need to have pep talks to yourself, do it. If you need a moment to encourage yourself, do it. Remind yourself, your’re called to do this.

Please understand, just because you’re passionate about something, does not protect you from the colliding forces of the world. You will be tested, you will be hit with pressure, you will fail, you will lose, but you will also win.

Don’t let the enemy steal your child (your passion.) Hang on, allow yourself to breathe, allow yourself to mess up and keep growing.

It is okay to admit, “I have no idea what the heck I am doing”

As long as at the end of that sentence you add,

“But I know it’s all going to come together.”

Sure, I know your passion may not be teaching. Your career may not be being a teacher, but this relates to us all. We all have something we dream about, something that we just want to happen, something we see ourselves doing that excites our soul.  Hang on to that and do not be discouraged by the attacks of the world. Attacks will come. Losses will be dealt, and not everyday you’ll have it together. But remember, for every storm, there is a beautiful story waiting to be told.

People don’t just need to hear success stories, they need the full story. What it took to get you there. Those crying nights, those tears, people need to know it takes hardship even if you’re passionate about it.

So friends, breathe, relax, and protect your passion by all means. Take it one day at time. You will fail but you will also win.

Our success stems from our passion.

-Padriana Grace

JesusChristChangedMyLife because He gave me a purpose and a passion.

Prayer:

Dear God, Thank you for giving me  a purpose long before I knew who I was. Thank you for seeing me so good and perfect for something that you designed me to be passionate about it. Now Heavenly Father, help to to protect it. Help me to protect my anointing, my calling, my purpose. When the enemy comes in disguised as stress, low self-esteem, critique, or attacks, help me to see it for what it is and not for who I am. Help me to stay motivated and of light. When I’m feeling dismayed and weak, may I look to you for strength and guidance. May I stop trying to do it all on my own and look to You for grace. May I extend grace on to others and forgive them when they attack my passion. May I not attack back or bruise my purpose. Help me to keep going on the hardest days. I love you and I need you Jesus, I pray these things in Jesus name. Amen. 

“So do not fear, for I am with you;

do not be dismayed, I am your God. 

I will strengthen you, and help you;

I will uphold you with my righteous hand.”

-Isaiah 41:10