在工作與生活中的熱情：愛你所做的事

可能你曾看過那極吸引人的宣言。因為那是我第一次看到，我的妻子與我就實際把它當成我們自己的宣言，因為它說出我們一直相信的事。

那個宣言太長了，無法在此全部列出，但從一開始那宣言就強調追求生命中你熱情所在的重要性。以下是那宣言的摘錄：

「這是你的生命。做你所愛的事，而且要常常做。若你不喜歡某件事，就改變它。若你不喜歡你的工作，就辭職。若你沒有足夠的時間，就不要再看電視。若你正在尋找生活中你所喜愛的事，停止吧；當你開始做你喜愛的事，你就會發現它們正在等你…生命是短暫的。活出你的夢想並分享你的熱情。」

若你以前沒看過「好思體（Holstee）宣言」，我建議你用谷歌（Google）搜尋出來閱讀。它補捉到一種簡單時尚的方式，因為要經歷充實的生活並不需把生活弄得複雜。那宣言並沒有提到上帝或屬靈的事，但當我讀那宣言並思想它所說的話，我發現它與聖經的原則是一致的。

事實上，「好思體宣言」的一個更屬靈表達方式可以是： 不要嘗試找出上帝對你生命的計劃；只要找到讓你有活力的事，因為上帝要有活力的人。

傳奇的歌手和歌曲創作家鮑伯狄倫（Bob Dylan）說：「你若不是忙著活，就是忙著死。」換句話說，人活著不是僅僅存在而已。

這是我所發現的道理，尤其是經過多年的歲月。若你無法追求你所熱愛的事──也就是點燃你熱忱並使你充滿精神和動力的事──你就是對自己不公平。我們都被獨特地創造，有不同的恩賜、才幹、技巧和興趣。問題是如何運用我們的獨特性和與人不同之特質去達到自我實現，也對我們周圍的世界作出最大的貢獻。以下是聖經的一些建議：

這一定是從上帝開始。上帝創造我們每一個人，賜給我們一些獨特的特質，使我們成為我們這樣一個人，並起去做我們能做的事。藉著認識上帝，我們也能更認識自己。「你當倚靠耶和華而行善，住在地上，以他的信實為糧；又要以耶和華為樂，他就將你心裏所求的賜給你」（詩篇37篇3-4節）。

焦點應該是上帝。一個充實的生活不僅包括我們所做的事，也牽涉到我們為何做那事──也就是我們的動機。沒有別的動機比服事並尊榮上帝更高貴。「無論做甚麼，或說話或行事，都要奉主耶穌的名，藉著他感謝父　神」（歌羅西書3書17節）。

吉姆．馬提斯在堪薩斯州陸路公園市經營一家照相館。他的專長是商業和影劇界人像。他也經營一所攝影學校。他還寫了一本書「一般民眾的高度攝影表現」，那是一本有關數位攝影的書。他曾是一家咖啡店的經理，也曾是CBMC在堪薩斯州堪薩斯市和密蘇里州堪薩斯市的執行主任。

Perhaps you have seen this intriguing statement. Since I encountered it for the first time, my wife and I have essentially adapted it as our own because it says what we have always believed.

The Manifesto is too lengthy to present here in its entirety, but from its start, the declaration emphasizes the importance of pursuing passion in life. Here are excerpts:

“This is your life. Do what you love, and do it often. If you don”t like something, change it. If you don”t like your job, quit. If you don”t have enough time, stop watching TV. If you are looking for the love of your life, stop; they will be waiting for you when you start doing things you love…. Life is short. Live your dream and share your passion.”

If you have not seen the Holstee Manifesto before, I would encourage you to Google it and read through it. It captures in simple fashion a way for experiencing a fulfilling life without making it complicated. The statement does not reference God or spirituality, but as I have read it and pondered what it says, I realized it finds agreement with principles in the Bible.

In fact, a more spiritual expression of the Holstee Manifesto could be, "Don’t try to find God’s plan for your life; find our what makes you come alive, because God wants people who have come alive."

Legendary singer and songwriter Bob Dylan said, "If you are not busy living, you are busy dying." To put it another way, there must be more to living than simply existing.

This is what I have discovered, especially as years have passed. If you cannot pursue things you love -things that ignite your enthusiasm and fill you with energy and motivation – you are shortchanging yourself. We are all uniquely created with different gifts, talents, skills and interests. The question is how to leverage our uniqueness and differences not only to achieve self-fulfillment, but also to make the greatest contribution to the world around us. Here is some advice from the Bible:

It must start with God. God created each of us, giving us the unique blend of traits that help to make us who we are and what we do. By getting to know Him, we become equipped to better know ourselves. “Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:3-4).

The focal point should be God. A fulfilling life involves not only what we do, but also why we are doing it – our motives. There can be no higher motivation than to serve and honor God. “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Colossians 3:17).

Jim Mathis is the owner of a photography studio in Overland Park, Kansas, specializing in executive, commercial and theatrical portraits, and operates a school of photography. Jim is the author of High Performance Cameras for Ordinary People, a book on digital photography. He formerly was a coffee shop manager, and executive director of CBMC in Kansas City, Kansas and Kansas City, Missouri.