When People Pressure You To Give Up What You Love for What You Loathe

Are you stuck doing stuff you hate, and there's no way out right now?

Today I want to speak a word of life to you about that.

In my book, JUGGLE, I say:

 "Some things are not a matter of dreams and goals - they are necessities. Rare to almost non-existent is the person who has the luxury of waking up each day and exclusively doing the things they dream of doing...I've also observed that many people appear to be so overwhelmed by their have-to-do's, they seldom get to their want-to-do's."

There have been seasons in my life, ministry and career where I have been forced to do things I didn't want to do. Of course I could have said no. Nobody was holding a gun to my head. But if I said no I probably would have ended up unemployed, homeless, bankrupt, divorced, or well...you get the picture. 

During the seasons of bearing heavy loads of things I didn't expect but were required, it has angered me when well meaning people have suggested giving up the things I love in order to better handle the things I loathe. "Maybe in this season you need to back away from such and such..." If I've heard it once I've heard it a million times. I've been told to just give up writing, and things would be easier to handle. People have literally said to me, "Just don't blog, and you'll have time to do ________________." 

Or, "why do you have to write a book right now? Is that really necessary?"  I've resisted drop-kicking them. 

I've been advised to give up teaching,something I've done for 27+ years.  It's something that I love and can't imagine myself not doing. They say if I just gave up teaching, imagine all the extra time I'd have to do more...things that I loathe. Joy, joy, joy. 

Maybe I'm the only one who has ever experienced this kind of "why-don't-you-give-up-what-you-love-to-do-more-of-what-you-loathe advice, but my gut feeling tells me a lot of people understand and have experienced this. 

It's so demoralizing.  

Through these times of being pressed to give up things I love for the things I loathe, I taught myself to juggle. This was essential if I didn't want to make this ugly trade of giving up love for loathe. Because that kind of trade is what drives people to suicide. It's a trade that makes you physically and mentally ill. Perhaps you think that sounds kind of dramatic but let me put it to you this way -- anybody who wakes up each day hating everything on their agenda is going to encounter depression. We're not built to wake up everyday and completely loathe our to-do list.  God gifted each of us to use our giftings in areas of passion, not just wake up every day doing stuff we can't stand to do.

Not only did I learn to "juggle" well so I could do my want-to's and not just my have-to's but earlier this year I decided it was time to go to the next level in bringing purpose out of the pain.It was the difficulty of bearing the weight of some of those have-to's that fueled me to write JUGGLE. One day I woke up said, "I didn't go through this for nothing! Something MORE is coming!!" 

God always has MORE.

You were meant for more, and your struggle helps you get there!!

There was suddenly a fire lit inside of me to help other people who might feel hopeless in managing stuff. So I started writing about it.  JUGGLE flowed out of me onto the page and once published, reached people's hearts. Now they are juggling and realizing that they don't have to just manage stuff they loathe, they can spend some time doing what they love every day. Maybe not exclusively doing what they love, but definitely spending some time doing what they love each day. 

I'm not sure what's going on in your life, but know this -- whatever it is that you're going through today that's unfair, crazy, or the furthest thing you ever imagined yourself dealing with -- know this -- God wants to redeem it. 

So my friend, take that thing, and turn it around!

Use it for material for your next level!

Encourage somebody.

Teach somebody.

Share with somebody.

Reach out to somebody!

Think about how you can take your situation and spin it in your favor!

Maybe you're thinking, "Deanna...my situation could never be spun in my favor. It just sucks. That's all there is to it. There's nothing good about what I'm dealing with."

Okay so maybe there's nothing good about it right this second, but you have the potential to spin it somehow to help people and make good come out. You do. Really.

Believe me.

There's a blog inside you.

There's a Facebook page inside you.

There's a book inside you.

There's a support group inside you.

There's a new business inside you.

There's a ministry inside you.

There's a ____________________ inside you. 

 You just don't see it yet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This weekend I have the opportunity to teach a lot of people about JUGGLE. In addition to teaching about prayer, I'm doing two sessions on this topic at the Experience Conference.  I'm excited about encouraging people that their time can be redeemed for His glory. 

Thanks for stopping by my blog today. I take the time to write it because I care, and I thank you for taking the time to read it. 

My prayer is with you today that every single obstacle in your life will be spun in your favor! 

What's inside you will soon be shared with the world, to impact other lives. I just know it.

Write to me and tell me how you are going to start reaching out to others with what's inside you.