Purpose.  Vision.  Life Mission.  Whatever you call that thing that gets your juices flowing, we all have something built within that is our personal passion from God.  How do you find it?

1) Experiment.  Try different things.  Do you like to teach?  How will you know, other than trying it?  Are you good at advertizing?  Try it out!

2)  Do a gifts analysis.  Many have been developed.  These ask a series of questions that narrow down interests into categories.  The categories can be a broad field of expertise or a smaller area to explore.  Larry Burkett developed a career tool that can be found at crown.org. 

3)  Read.  Find trade magazines.  Which ones put you to sleep?  Eliminate that field quickly!  Find books that expound on the details of an area of interest.  Do they pique your attention more?  Then research more!  Richard Bolles has written an excellent tool for thought:  What Color is Your Parachute?   

I've seen too many situations where an ill-chosen job zapped the life out of the employee.  We all need work that is fulfilling!  So become an expert about the one person you know best:  YOU!  And then use the things that you love to do, to serve others and to make the world a better place.  You can do it!

Ecclesiastes 5:19  Work is a gift from the Lord!

Sally,
Thank you for your care and the time it takes to share so much of yourself with others. I feel very blessed to have met you in person.
You ask what turns my crank? I say it begins with a Vision. Prov. 29:18 says "Where there is no vision, the people perish"(KJV. In Ps 37:4 it says to "delight yourself also in the LORD; and He SHALL give you the desires of you heart." Where did the desires come from? God first put the desires into your heart, so when you commune with him - talk to Him, think, mull over His Words, pay attention to what He is saying deep in your heart - you will begin to desire what He is telling or showing you. And as you delight yourself in Him, He will bring those desires to fruition.
Sally, it never fails for me. And the delight, when I know that I am fulfilling the desires He has put in my heart - that vision that is so deep and rich - OH! there is nothing greater!

Here is a vision the Lord gave me

I saw a vision:
Misty mountain steppes;
Bright alpine meadows;
Verdant pastures; Sylvan glades.

Flowers dancing like
Stars of the morning;
Upturned faces
Fluttery leaves; golden sun.

Graceful poplars drink
From the Stream of Life,
Cascading, bubbling,
Ever singing its sweet, pure song.

A voice is saying:
These are your children,
Young, free, tall and straight,
Drinking from that cool, clean Rush.

The children are singing:
We are taught by God;
Great is our Peace for
We belong to Jehovah.

Marian D. Betts
Isaiah 44:3-4
and 54:13
copyright 2005