My sister presented the idea of blogging about passion the other day. Passion. The word has been sitting on all sides of my brain for days now. It can be approached in so many different ways. I started thinking, what am I passionate about? What does passion even mean? When I think about passion, I think of a person totally all in on something, they live and breathe for their passion, driven to accomplish their passion. Have I ever felt all in on anything? Sure I love writing, and when I do it I am passionate about it, but if I was really all in, would I prioritize my time better and be more devoted to my craft, my passion? There are so many things in this world vying for my attention on a daily basis that my passions can be dulled down. But truly there are more things dulling down my passions than things for me to be passionate about. So why do those other things win? Because they are so in your face and overwhelming! This world is such a crazy loud place and honestly, it is a mess. I’m not kidding, it is a hot mess! Even when we look at all the good and all the blessings, people are still falling apart. Where is our passion? What are we focused on? What get’s our attention? What drives us to act one way or another?

A few days ago my mind was focused on getting my people to bed and sitting down with a movie and chocolate. That’s it. That’s what consumed me. And I couldn’t make it happen that day, or the day after, or any day since actually. I couldn’t make it happen because I had a wicked stomach ache and was completely exhausted. But still, all I wanted was a movie and chocolate and I was so devastated to not get these two things that I went to bed that night resentful of everything that stood in my way that day preventing me from relaxing the way I wanted to. I was passionate about a movie and chocolate. But a thought crossed my mind as I tried to fall asleep that night, “Seek God first.” I wasn’t. I was seeking a movie and chocolate. I was bitter and mad. The next morning I woke up and prayed that I would re focus on what was important, what deserved space in my brain, committing the chocolate and movie to a far away place that could be a treat at the end of the day and not my driving force or passion.

Isn’t this how our brains tend to work? A treat. A quick and easy solution. But that’s not passion. Passion is more a driving force that you work at daily, not something that you ever really check off your list, because you never want to be done with your passion. If your passion is for a craft project, perhaps sewing or quilting(this is not my passion nor am I gifted in any way in this area) when you finish one project, you look at it with great admiration and then move on to the next with the same passion as you had for the last one because you enjoy what you are doing! Unfortunately, not many people enjoy what they do on a daily basis. Most people have jobs that pay the bills but bring them no satisfaction or joy. My husband always wanted to be a firefighter. He tells people often, he is living his dream. How awesome is that! He takes pride in his work, he serves the community that he has lived in his whole life, and he loves it! PASSION!

I spoke to a new friend on the phone today and she is passionate about all good things! She works in ministry and is passionate about Jesus. She is passionate about raising her kids, passionate about her marriage, and passionate about her community. The passion is so evident in the way she talks about everything and it is like a burst of sunshine!

I also have several friends who are teachers. It truly takes a special person to be a teacher and in many ways you take your work home with you evenings and weekends. But you don’t do it because it is a job that pays the bills, if that was the case, I think less people would pursue this line of work. The great teachers I know, do it because not only does it pay the bills, but it is their passion to teach children and to make an impact on the lives of their students.

Can you remember back to when you were a kid? What did you love doing? Maybe it was a passion that got tossed to the side because of the pace of society or because it wouldn’t pay the bills. In college I had several people tell me, oh writing is great, but what are you going to do for work. Seriously! Why must we crush dreams?

What if we were passionate about the things in life that mattered? Passionate about God. Passionate about our marriages. Passionate about our kids. Passionate about the way we treat people. Passionate about life! What if we had such passion in our lives that it changed the way we live and made a positive impact on our families, our friends, our community, our world, or even just on one person.

 

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