As I journeyed through anorexia and recovery, I decided to write a book about eating disorder recovery. Honestly, I couldn’t not write a book about that. It was so therapeutic for me to put my thoughts on paper—and watch what God would do from there. Although I didn’t know how my random thoughts would become eventually turn into a published book, I knew I had to do something with the fire—the passion—that was burning inside me.
The Fire in My Heart
Over the years, I’ve noticed an obvious scarcity of resources that exist for Christian young women who have (or have had) eating disorders. Honestly, I believe Satan would love for Christians to shift their focus completely away from body image, eating disorders, and eating disorder recovery so we’ll forget how serious eating disorders are and how significantly they can affect our relationships with God.
But eating disorders are very present in our culture. They’re not “irrelevant” or “going away.” Sadly, they’re more common than most people realize.
I write about eating disorder recovery and other topics for young women (like singleness, which I discussed in this recent post) because I truly believe God has placed those topics on my heart. They’re my God-given passions, at least for this season of my life. He may change what I feel passionately about, but for now, I’m passionate about struggles young women have, including eating disorder recovery.
The Fire in Your Heart
What has God placed on your heart? What topics or issues interest you? What are your passions?
Are you passionate about fighting human trafficking? Preventing suicide? Serving the elderly community? Addressing anxiety and depression? Meeting the needs of the homeless? Caring for special needs children? Welcoming new families in your area? Something else?
Those haven’t been placed on your heart by accident. God can use them to make a huge difference in His kingdom!
When God Stirs Your Heart
Everyone whose heart stirred him and everyone whose spirit moved him came and brought the Lord’s contribution for the work of the tent of meeting and for all its service and for the holy garments. Then all whose hearts moved them, both men and women, came and brought brooches and earrings and signet rings and bracelets, all articles of gold; so did every man who presented an offering of gold to the Lord. Every man, who had in his possession blue and purple and scarlet material and fine linen and goats’ hair and rams’ skins dyed red and porpoise skins, brought them. Everyone who could make a contribution of silver and bronze brought the Lord’s contribution; and every man who had in his possession acacia wood for any work of the service brought it. All the skilled women spun with their hands, and brought what they had spun, in blue and purple and scarlet material and in fine linen. All the women whose heart stirred with a skill spun the goats’ hair. The rulers brought the onyx stones and the stones for setting for the ephod and for the breastpiece; and the spice and the oil for the light and for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense. The Israelites, all the men and women, whose heart moved them to bring material for all the work, which the Lord had commanded through Moses to be done, brought a freewill offering to the Lord. Then Moses said to the sons of Israel, “See, the Lord has called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. And He has filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding and in knowledge and in all craftsmanship; to make designs for working in gold and in silver and in bronze, and in the cutting of stones for settings and in the carving of wood, so as to perform in every inventive work. He also has put in his heart to teach, both he and Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan. He has filled them with skill to perform every work of an engraver and of a designer and of an embroiderer, in blue and in purple and in scarlet material, and in fine linen, and of a weaver, as performers of every work and makers of designs.” (Exodus 35:21-35, NASB1995, emphasis mine)
The hearts of the Israelites were clearly stirred by God in this passage. And as they worked to prepare the Tabernacle, they used their God-given skills, desires, and passions to do His work. I’m confident they found great fulfillment in that—in leaning into what God gave them the ability and desire to do so He’d be glorified.
Friends, it’s time to find your passion and use it for the kingdom of God. Whether you put your passion into practice with your family and friends, at your school, in your career, at your church, or at an organization where you volunteer, you can find fulfillment in letting God use your passions in ways that glorify Him.
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