“Responsible irresponsibility means refusing to allow your human responsibility to get in the way of pursuing the passions God puts in your heart.”- Mark Batterson
“The soul lives by that which it loves.”- St. John of the Cross
In Chapter 2 (“Goose Bumps: Coming Out of the Cage of Responsibility”) of Wild Goose Chase, Mark Batterson relates the story of Wilson ‘Snowflake’ Bentley. Growing up on a farm in Jericho, Vermont, Bentley developed a fascination with snowflakes early on. In addition, Bentley pursued his passion of photographing snowflakes for more than fifty years. And during that time he amassed a collection of 5,381 snowflake photos.
Quite fittingly, Bentley’s death symbolized and epitomized his life. For he contracted pneumonia while walking six miles through a severe snowstorm. Hence, Bentley died pursuing his God-ordained passion.
Above all, Pastor Batterson’s not convinced that one’s date of death = the date of death carved on one’s tombstone. The author explains:
“Most people die long before that. We start dying when we have nothing worth living for. And we don’t really start living until we find something worth dying for. Ironically, discovering something worth dying for is what makes life worth living.”
However, Mark believes many of us make the mistake of initially pursuing our passion, yet end up settling for a paycheck. As a result, instead of making a life, all we do is make a living. Thus, our day-to-day responsibilities bury our deep-seated passions.
Certainly, the author knows, you need to take care of required daily tasks. But, he asserts, your greatest responsibility involves pursuing your God-ordained passions. Therefore, you must not allow those daily tasks to displace your passions. In conclusion, Mark adds:
“Sometimes the will of God feels downright irresponsible. You are called to make a decision or take a course of action that seems to make no sense. And if you do it, the people closest to you may think you’re crazy.”
But, you’re acting with responsible irresponsibility.
Today’s question: What keeps you from pursuing the passions God’s place on your heart? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Human qualification or God-ordained passion?”
