What do you want to be when you grow up?

How many times have we asked and answered this question?

Friends I’m starting to think it might be the absolute wrong thing to ask anyone including ourselves.

At senior choir night all they read the kids names along with their plan after graduation. This is the senior year “What do you want to be when you grow up?” moment.

One of the kids gave an answer I thought was straight up amazing…

“I don’t know what I’m going to do yet because I’m passionate about too many things.”

Wow.

If only every single child left our schools with so much passion for what was coming next they felt they had all these options. This kid is the most prepared of them all because they know there are things they care about so deeply that they have to give them great thought.

Shouldn’t this be what we are striving for instead of a slew of 18 year olds who feel they need to have their entire actual life mapped out? Who are just focused on what they want to be instead of who they want to be?

Because if there is one thing I have learned after leaving 18 behind it’s that you can’t map out a life. It just doesn’t work that way…there’s no formula for happiness and success.

And really happiness and success are not the end all be all of life. It’s great to be happy and nice to be successful but there is so much more we’re here to do.

If we we listen to our passions we are listening to what God has put on our hearts. We learn who we are meant to be in the world.

Our passions lead us to our journey. They grow and change throughout our lives, reminding us we never really arrive so we better enjoy each day along the way.

Our passions lead us to our people…those who have the same dreams and are ready to band together and help each other grow.

Our passions lead us to our purpose…the way we can serve the world using the gifts God gave us.

Our passions remind us we are here for a greater reason, they may lead us through struggles but they also help us to change the world.

So today I’m going to start asking the next generation what they are passionate about. What do they care about so deeply it stirs their heart? How do they see themselves serving the world?

What are you passionate about? Let’s help our kids answer that and they’ll be just fine.