Make a List of What You Hate

Are you having trouble sorting out what you want to do with your life? Maybe you need to tap into what you hate.Recently I spent time with an old college friend over a cup of coffee. We had a long, fun conversation about sorting through God's calling on one's life. We talked about all that this involves--knowing your passions and strengths, listening to what others say about your calling, looking at the opportunities in front of you, etc.Somewhere in the middle of the conversation, my friend said something really helpful:

One way to sharpen your sense of calling is to make a list of what you hate.

I thought this was a great idea. I haven't made my list yet. Maybe I'll do that today.I've been thinking about how this method is the backdoor entrance into your calling. The front door entrance is thinking about your greatest loves, delights, and passions ("I love working with at-risk youth," etc.).The front door approach is great. But, because you use the front door all the time, sometimes you need to go through the back door to get a new perspective on the calling that God's put upon your life.Try the back door. Make a list of what you hate."I love working with at-risk youth" now becomes: "I hate what happens when families break apart," "I hate what poverty and economic injustice does to inner-city youth," "I hate it when local churches stand isolated from the problems of at-risk youth," etc. This line of thinking sends you in a fresh, sharpened direction.See what the hate-list, the back door, can do? It can sharpen your calling. It can sharpen your sense of what God has burdened you to do with your life.Leave the front door alone for a little while. Walk around the back of the house and try that door.What do you hate? Make a list. Share the list with a few friends. Pray through it.Then do something about the list.See what you can do with your life, by the grace and power of God, to start erasing some of those items off of the list so that they don't show up on somebody else's list.(Photo is of some protesters I ran into in San Francisco a few years ago. This is a photo of something I hate).