Thursday, October 27, 2011

PASSION(LESS) 

At first glance, these new thoughts and perspectives on passion could make passion seem less appealing. 
Why have a passion worth suffering and sacrificing for?
Yes, Christ chose a passionate existence... but why must we?

I sat and pondering these questions, trying to think of an example of a passionless life to demonstrate the pity of passionless existence. But I couldn't think of one.

The passionless don't make it into stories.  
 Perhaps... this is example enough.
PASSION(ATE)

Like a cloud full of rain 
shouldn't hang in the sky
Ice shouldn't burn
Nor a bumblebee fly
If you feel so happy
why do you cry
Nothing about love makes sense

Passion is closely linked with romance, making it an aspect that cannot be ignored. 
Even those who have managed to find the sweetness of an intimate relationship with Christ find themselves struggling to avoid being swept away by romantic passion. 

Unfortunately for me, during the span of one moment to the next, I could easily fall head over heels with little hope of getting up without a long, hard fight. 

While looking over some thoughts I scribbled down last summer, I came across this entry:

Oh, this is a funny little mess, isn’t it? How do I always manage to do exactly what I know ought not to be done? It’s a talent I possess, I think. Perhaps this happened because I so firmly resolved it would not. It always seems to be when I devote myself to a worthy cause that it begins to fail.

Love, if it can be called love, makes everything appear different then it once seemed. Troubles that once seemed terribly significant now no longer exist. Simple tasks suddenly have greater meaning. Willingness to change one’s plans doesn’t seem such a bother. And added to this, one’s peripheral vision and sense of hearing begin to suffer from constant use.

And the only thing worse then the sure disappointment stemming from unmet expectations is receiving the desired hope. Wonderful. Now what am I to do with the possibility there may be something of worth to be found here? 

It’s never the time nor the place, is it?

Perhaps you would reply the answer lies in the assurance of his affections. This seems a logical response. However, let us take into account my heart rarely has and I fear never will plant itself on the side of reason.

This is foolishness. Surely I have the dedication of mind, soul, and heart to apply myself to the better use of my time. Yes. If he doesn’t appear in the next few moments, that is… 



The ironic truth is sometimes attaining the world's version of romantic passion can be just as wretched as watching it fall away. And make no mistake, eventually what the world calls passion will slip away.
If I had a dime for every film, book, or story written about fleeting romance...  
Because regardless of how powerful the draw, passion that finds its end anywhere other then Jesus will be left void and empty.

Once again, let us redefine passion; the passion towards the special someone God places in our hearts and lives. It's called love. 
And we must have the same love towards each other as Christ had towards us.

...it always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres... 
....

Passion (love) is a verb, not a feeling. 

Someday, after mastering the winds, the waves, the tides and gravity, we shall harness for God the energies of love, and then, for a second time in the history of the world, man will have discovered fire. 
-Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

Monday, October 10, 2011

(COM)PASSION 
a feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another who isstricken by misfortune, accompanied by a strong desire toalleviate the suffering

Let us not study passion, desire passion, or acquire passion for ourselves. This will leave us empty and void, for the musician plays for the listener and the dancer moves for the audience. The passion of the Christ was not self-centered; rather, it was others-centered. He didn't suffer for himself, he suffered for others. 
This is called compassion. 

Compassion is always inconvenient.
-Pastor Jim 

I truly believe the reason we live passionless lives is because we refuse to bear the burden of passion. It requires effort and endurance we are unable unwilling to give. And if one is unwilling to sustain personal passion, imagine their response to bearing the weight of compassion. 

Compassion is long-suffering. 
Compassion is sweet. 
Compassion doesn't want to steal what you've managed to gain. 
Compassion doesn't brag about what it's managed to gain. 
Compassion doesn't lash out all of the sudden. 
Compassion doesn't bring up past disappointments and frustrations. 
Compassion doesn't find joy when inevitable consequences overtake the foolish. 
Compassion is more concerned about your victory then being thanked. 
Compassion is always there to keep you safe. 
Compassion is a second chance... and a seventy-seventh chance. 
Compassion always believes in you. 
Compassion never quits. 

There is another word for compassion:
(COMPASSION) = (LOVE)

Yes, it requires much to offer compassion to another. It requires putting others first. How will we ever find the ability? 

Wait...

Let us not forget that we find our strength in the Father of compassion (2 Cor 1:3)... in whom we share this passion.
"Sometimes it takes watching someone love something to love it yourself."