Have you ever had a conversation with someone who was truly passionate about something their life? It's amazing to see the way their face may light up as they talk about that topic. They show not only knowledge on the subject, but it almost seems to burn inside them, looking for a release, especially when someone shows an interest in that subject.
Passion is related to our emotional being. And here, I don't mean passion in the way that it gets misused in general. Today, way too much is made of passion being related to sensuality or sexuality. By that term passion, I mean something that burns and bubbles up inside of you, something that touches you and affects you powerfully in life, something that you feel very strongly about.
When we look through the Bible, one picture is painted clearly for us. God is a passionate God. He deeply loves His creation. Like the father in the parable of the Prodigal Son, God willingly forgoes dignity because of how much He loves His children, especially the ones who are His through faith. God's passion is such that He would send His one and only Son to forgive and redeem the world from sin and condemnation.
We see that same passion in Jesus throughout His life. He felt anger at injustice. He was deeply moved by people who were hurting, or who recognized their need for Him. Jesus is so passionate about us that He willingly took our sin upon Himself on the cross so that we can be His and be with Him forever. Passion drove God to take action, and that action involved Jesus giving up His life on the cross and taking it back up again.
Passion cannot be separated from emotion. And yet, there is a vital difference here. Passion drives us to do what we do. Love for a spouse drives us to please that spouse, to sacrifice for him or her. Passion for hurting people drives some to give, and others to participate in relief efforts. Passion drives us to accomplish more than what we may think possible in life.
Passion is a driving force in life. Passion is tied to our emotional state. And yet, we cannot allow our emotions to overcome our passion. Jesus felt sorrow at the death of a friend (Lazarus), even going so far as to weep (John 11:35). And yet, He did not allow His sorrow to distract Him from the passion of His existence, that of rescuing the world from the clutches of sin and the devil.
We could think of passion as focused emotion. And to focus emotion means a couple of things. First, it means that emotion is not in control, but is under control. It also means that we utilize our emotion for that which drives us, and not as a distraction. In other words, passion involves emotional discipline.
What are you passionate about in life? How do you discipline your emotional being in order to be fully passionate about it?
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