51 of 226

Write now Article Tools

Passion comes in many forms and can relate to many things, and indeed mean different things to different people. That is why we sometimes need to stop and reflect on whether it is more important to live life with passion, or to live life with conviction in a passionate way.

The other day I attended a deacons' meeting at my church and one topic of discussion related to the congregation's reaction to our latest "vision" for the church. The congregation was polite and subdued, except for one individual who recognized the tremendous effort that had gone into our undertaking, but thought that there was something missing. That element was passion.

Oddly enough, passion was the heading for the first paragraph in our written presentation in which we concluded that a clear, compelling vision should evoke passion. We analyzed, we rationalized, and some even tried to dismiss the criticism as uninformed. A more insightful deacon turned our attention to a passage in the Bible where the prophet Jeremiah reprimanded Israel for meticulously building their sacrificial altars while losing sight of who they were building them for. The object of their passion had been transferred from God to the altars themselves, such that the process took precedence over the Person.

I went home that evening reflecting on the thoughts that had been bandied about, knowing what the problem was, but not quite certain about how to overcome it. The problem of course was that we needed not to talk about passion, but to actually possess it.

Furthermore, it was clear that this was not only something our congregation lacked, but much of the churched nation as well. Why is it that millions can get passionate about football, golf, or tennis and not have more desire to spend with their children? How can people rearrange their schedules to go jogging or cruising in the Caribbean but not be able to volunteer at their church or local homeless shelter? Have people really become so self-absorbed that their focus is on just things and not the people around them? Is this the end result of making affluence and consumerism societal values and goals? Is this also why people who have a passion for things rather than people eventually feel empty at the end of the day?

These were all questions I had as I went to bed that night. After struggling with my thoughts I eventually fell asleep, but at about four in the morning woke up and started to have one of those epiphany moments. It started to occur to me that people often transfer

• 1
• 2
• next page >>

Add your voice

Know something about Reflections: Living every day with passion?
We want to hear your view. Write now!