Loving God isn't always easy

but sometimes Pop Songs speak Truth...

Cheryl Cole's song 'Fight for this love' is currently playing on the airwaves, and every time I hear it, I am reminded that...

We gotta fight, fight, fight, fight, fight for this love
If it's worth having, it's worth fighting for

Not that it's meant to be a Christian song, as such. God just knows that I sometimes need to be reminded of the truth through cultural means :)

[BTB, before I looked up the lyrics, I had heard the last line quoted above as "It's like heaven; it's worth fighting for"... So actually, my version really was tailor-made for me o.O]

Future factors?

I've been thinking about my future a lot (as always), as even though I seem to know what I'm doing within the next few days/ weeks/ (sometimes) months, I don't have a five year plan. Or a two year plan. Last year's one year plan was to finish my thesis, which should be happening at the end of this year... So it means panic stations again.

Having said that, I know I'm not alone in my 'ooh, aah, future, eek, what do i do'-ness. Recently I got an email from a friend asking for advice with regards to what he should be doing in the near future, or what his gifts were so that he could use that to guide his decisions.

After much thought (okay, a few minutes), I replied:

gosh, I have no idea. But what I can say that we've been given gifts, yes, but we've also been given heart. And I think that God gives us heart (passion, drive) to help us decide what gifts we're to use for his glory.

So what do you LOVE doing?

I was reminded of this again last night, when a friend related the following scene from the movie Chariots of Fire. Eric Liddell, the main character, is a Christian athlete, and is asked in frustration by his sister when he's ever going to do something for God instead of running the whole time. He responds:

I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast. And when I run I feel His pleasure.

In the film, he ends up using this passion and the opportunities it brings into his life to further God's purpose- he ends up as an Olympic athletics coach in China where he also works as a missionary.

I'm not saying we should be dictated by what we love doing - I might love playing golf, but it might be an absolutely daft thing for me to be doing if I e.g. particularly suck at it. [BTB, I dislike golf. Intensely.] However, I think there's wisdom in not only assessing what you're good at/ gifted at, but also what you enjoy doing :).

Good. Now if someone could only tell me what I should be doing!! ....

Disclaimer: Now I know this post is potentially controversial, and it won't be helpful for everyone, so use it if you like, but don't use it if you don't want to.