Why Doesn’t God Let Us Do What We Love and Make Money? | EP21

Why does it feel like the things we truly love don’t always make money… and the things that make money don’t always feel meaningful?

In this episode, I reflect on the tension between passion and survival — the desire to follow what we feel called to do, while still trying to stay financially secure.

Through personal experiences and honest questions, I explore the deeper struggle behind money — fear, control, and the need to feel safe.

Maybe the real question is not about money, but about what we’re asking money to give us.

Email: elenaswy@gmail.com

IG: @elenaswenyu

Transcript

How I Met Jesus — Episode 21

Why Doesn’t God Let Us Do What We Love and Make Money? 

Hi, this is Elena.

Welcome back to How I Met Jesus.

Recently, we were discussing a question in our Young Adults Bible Study group. As people started sharing, I realized something. This is not just my struggle. It’s something many of us are facing. Have you ever felt that tension? Like you’re being pulled in two directions. One side says: “Follow your passion.” And the other side says: “Be realistic. You need to survive.”

In our group, I saw this tension everywhere. For me, it feels very real.  I want to spend more time on this podcast — on healing, on connecting with God, on learning and growing, and hopefully helping more people. But at the same time, I still have to put a lot of energy into my e-commerce business. Because that’s my livelihood.

And I’m not the only one. One of my good friends, Matt, shared something similar. He’s been organizing a house church recently, and around 20 people have been showing up. He spends a lot of time preparing for it. But at the same time, he’s still in school, and he also has to work to support himself. 

And listening to everyone share, I realized that we are all, in different ways, standing in the same tension. Trying to follow what we feel called to do… while still trying to survive in the real world. And sometimes, it makes me wonder… why does it feel like these two things are in conflict?

As I sat there listening to everyone share, I started to notice something in myself. This tension wasn’t just practical. It was emotional. Because on the surface, it looks like a question about time, or priorities, or career choices.  But underneath that… there’s something deeper. For me, it often feels like this: If I choose what I love… will I be okay? Will I have enough? And if I choose what feels safer… am I giving up something important? And that’s where the struggle really begins. Because it’s not just about what I choose to do. It’s about what I believe will happen if I choose it.

Actually, the real struggle is not between passion and money. It’s between trust and fear. And in the middle of that tension, I found myself asking a deeper question.

God, why?

Why would You give me desires… interests… a sense of purpose…

and yet make it so difficult for those things to support my life?

Sometimes it felt confusing. Even unfair.

Because I thought:

If something comes from You, shouldn’t it work?

Shouldn’t it flow?

Shouldn’t it make life easier, not harder?

And when it doesn’t… I start to doubt.

Not just my path. But sometimes… even You.

And if I’m really honest… This struggle is not just about money.

It’s about what money represents to me.

Security.

Safety.

Control.

For a long time, money felt like the thing that determined whether I was okay or not.

If I had enough, I could relax.

If I didn’t, everything felt uncertain.

Sometimes we don’t want money. We want what we think money will give us.

And that realization made me pause.

Because I began to see that my relationship with money was not neutral.

It was shaped.

By my past.

By my experiences.

By what I saw growing up.

And maybe that’s why this question feels so heavy.

Because it’s not just: “What should I do?”

It’s: “Will I be okay if I don’t have enough?”

And that’s a very different question.

Maybe the problem is not money itself. Maybe it’s the fear behind it.

And I think that’s where I am right now.

Not at an answer. But at a realization.

That my struggle with money is not just about how much I have.

It’s about how I feel about it. 

The fear.

The anxiety.

The need to feel secure.

And I’ve started asking myself something new.

Why does money have so much power over me?

Prayer

Let’s pray.

Dear Lord,

You know the fears we carry when it comes to money.

The anxiety. The pressure. The need to feel secure.

Sometimes we don’t just want money — we want what we think it will give us.

Safety. Stability. Peace.

But today, we bring those desires to You.

Help us see money with clarity, not through fear.

Teach us to trust You even when things feel uncertain.

And gently show us where our beliefs about money may not be rooted in truth.

Walk with us as we learn to release control and find our security in You.

In Jesus’ name,

Amen.

Maybe the real question is not: 

“Why doesn’t God let me make money doing what I love?”

Maybe the question is:

What have I been asking money to give me that only God can provide?

Thank you for being here and listening. If this episode resonated with you, feel free to share it with someone who might need it. And if you have your own story, testimony, or questions, I would love to hear from you.

Until next time, take a deep breath… and remember — you are already loved.