...be passionate

Right now, as I am writing and reflecting on this post, I am listening to the sounds of passion!  It is the genuine and beautiful sound of passion longing for a response.  A passionate sound which lasts for hours on end.  A sound which, for me, brings me back to Springs past.

Oh, I hope I have your attention now.  Just as the sound I hear, the producer of that sound also hopes to attract attention.  I am listening to a yearly ritual, hearkening the beginning of Spring; the passionate croaking of frogs in our family pond.

Every Spring, ever since we built the pond, my evenings are filled with the passionate sounds of romance.  They aren't "croaking"; it is more melodious.  But it is not the song itself which impresses me, rather, it is their passion.  Hour-by-hour, evening-by-evening, for days and weeks they come to call their mate.  There is no concern of what others think; just their passion directed toward their goal.

My last few posts have focused on the Easter story from the emotional perspective of the followers of Jesus.  I attempted to take us on the roller coaster of emotions culminating in Jesus' betrayal, arrest, death, and burial.  Then the moment, slowly realized, that He is no longer in the tomb, but risen!  Now we sense the feelings of guarded hope, optimism and confusion.

I wish to end my brief series of Easter posts with this topic of passion.  The emotion of passion is most likely the strongest of our emotions, if it may be called one at all.  Passion is more of an action.  A driving force behind what we ultimately do, in action, in response to a strongly held emotion.  As with my frogs, their passion for longevity and maintaining the species leads them to vocalize for hours, days and weeks.

What are we passionate about in our lives?

Slowly, as the followers of Jesus became more aware of the impact of His rising, they began to understand, to feel, how their lives would never be the same.  Recall that His closest followers were in hiding for fear of their lives.  But something, faith, passion, trust, gave them the strength and courage needed to leave their hiding place and proclaim what they now believed to be true!  Some very powerful force convinced these scared people to become fearless.  The threat to their life and the ridicule they faced was all too real.  But nothing stopped their passion to preach what they truly believed.

What are we passionate about in our lives?  Do we stay in fear and hiding, or do we go out and share our passion with the world?

Penn Jillette, of Penn and Teller fame, is a self-proclaimed atheist, even writing a book about his views on atheism.  What caught my attention, in his writing and later interviews about his atheism, is his passion for life.  He is not bitter nor attacking others, quite the contrary, he states that he wants people to be passionate about their beliefs and to share those beliefs, with passion.  Here is a quote of his from an interview a couple of years ago:

“I don’t respect people who don’t proselytize…If you believe that there’s a heaven and a hell and people could be going to hell or not getting eternal life…and you think that …it’s not really worth telling…because it would make it socially awkward…how much do you have to hate somebody to believe that everlasting life is possible and not tell them that?”

Wow!  When I originally read that statement I was speechless, and humbled.  How often in my own life have I "hid" my passion for fear of ridicule?  And yet he is correct.  Is this not what the followers of Jesus must have felt, that passion, which enabled them to risk all for the passion of the message they now felt compelled to tell.

What are we passionate about in our lives?  What is it within ourselves holding us back from sharing that passion with those around us?  And when we do share our passions, what is the driving force giving us the courage to do so?

As I have often stated in earlier posts I will now reiterate: I don't have all the answers, but I try to ask the proper questions.  I am not reflecting on this topic to give you a blueprint.  That would actually be counter to any passionate feelings.  Rather, I hope you reflect on this post, on the emotions of the early followers of Jesus, and come to your own understanding of your passion in your life.  And when you begin to allow yourself to feel that passion, find the strength and the courage to share it with everyone!!

What are we passionate about in our lives?

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