“We are sometimes moved with passion and we think it to be zeal”
Thomas a Kempis
“For Christ’s love compels us…”
Paul II Corinthians 5:14a
I am a part of the generation raised to seek passion. “Don’t just get a job, find your passion and go for it.” I believe that passion can be a wonderful thing. How wonderful to love what you do, to feel that what you are doing is important and is making a difference!
Passion can be misplaced.
I think back on my life and remember some of the things about which I felt passionately. I was sure of the importance and ready to stand up and make everyone take notice…until I found out that my passion was misdirected, that I didn’t know all the facts, didn’t see all sides. I spent a lot of energy and made a lot of noise but made very little positive impact when all was said and done.
I wish my memories were just from the way past – you know, back when I was young and foolish. But I still struggle with allowing my passions to bypass my brain. I still find myself passionate about things I believe I know, ready to take a stand and make some noise, only to find out that what I thought I knew was either incomplete or downright incorrect.
So where should my passion be? What should motivate me to make a difference? Where can I find my zeal (passion from God) rather than my own strong emotions? Paul makes it simple: “For Christ’s love compels us…” All that Paul did was in response to the love of Jesus. His zeal flowed out of Christ’s love.
Jesus loved, and His love led Him “to proclaim good news to the poor…to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” My zeal – if it is from God – will lead me to do the same. If I am proclaiming my rights, if I am proclaiming your wrongs, I am acting out of passion rather than the zeal of the Lord.
To avoid reacting out of passionate feelings rather than living and loving with the zeal of the Lord, I must be willing to slow down when I begin to speed up. When my feelings begin to move me into hyperdrive, its time to stop, breathe, and listen to the voice of God’s Spirit within me. Am I moving too quickly? Am I listening to what I need to hear? Have I allowed my emotions to override God’s wisdom? In the stillness I hear what I need to hear, what I need to know, and what I need to do.
Lord, I’m grateful for the capacity for emotion You have placed within me. I’m grateful that You are creating within me a desire for justice and mercy. I’m also grateful for Your patience with me as I learn to listen before speaking, to think before reacting. I’m grateful for Your Spirit who lovingly guides me into Your truth and fills me with a zeal that comes from You, rather than from my own thoughts and desires. Please continue the work You have begun. May I continue to humbly submit to You rather than choosing to be led by my own passions.