Passion

Everyone is passionate about something, and those of us who know the Lord certainly have some common passions (the Lord, His Word, the gospel, etc.). But God also has given each of us a unique imprint of passions and interests and talents, all to be used for His glory...and our joy in that glory. A friend asked me earlier this week, “What are you passionate about so I can encourage you in those areas?” Great question! (Thanks, Jen.) Here’s a few I came up with (in no particular order):

I'm passionate about rightly studying and teaching the Word. (What I mean here is specifically right hermeneutics and teaching.) I come from a background where the Word wasn't taught well—and I grew up in the church! It’s so saddening to see what happens in churches like that. Moral lessons and motivational “10 steps to this or that” sermons don’t cause real, lasting life-change because they don’t (can’t!) effect real heart-change. I've been so saddened in the last few years when I've talked with old friends, or heard news of them...and seen the sadness, rebellion, depression, dissatisfaction, and immorality in their lives. And these are friends who have been in church and professing Christ for years. It makes me feel physically ill sometimes. I praise God for graciously showing me what His Word can do...how it has changed and keeps changing me. And that makes me want to really, deeply know the Word, and be able to articulate it—and live it out!—so others can experience that, too.

I also love theology. I love the deep cogitations of “old” writers, everyone from Augustine to the Puritans. And I like reading modern systematic theologies and theological journals. I have to be careful with this, actually, because I can easily get lost studying things like infralapsarianism or dispensationalism for hours!

I'm passionate about learning in general. I can pick up just about any book and devour it, whether it's about the Civil War or economics or Chinese mythology. I love websites like Wikipedia and howstuffworks.com. I just love how much there is in this world...sometimes I actually get frustrated because I wish I had more time to take it in—and more brain space to hold it! I adore museums, observatories, libraries...

I'm passionate about using writing as a conduit for truth. I absolutely love that the Lord gave us language, and how powerful written words can be. That's why I chose to study both Bible and Print Media in college—because I wanted so badly to see if the Lord could use my love for language and writing to serve Him.

I'm becoming increasingly passionate about showing love in small, tangible ways—like mailing a card, making a meal, baking some cookies, buying a little gift, or cleaning a house. There's just something so fun to me about showing kindness that way. I want to strive to do this more!

I love the outdoors, particularly hiking and stargazing (and retelling the Greek mythological “stories” behind the constellations). Unfortunately, this is an unfulfilled passion most often, thanks to my schedule. Seriously, though...if I had the time and money and could justify such a self-centered lifestyle, I think I'd spend all my time on mountain trails and under the stars.

What else? Baking, reading and writing poetry, classic literature, my family, my closest friends, good quotes, good conversations about the Lord...and the list goes on. These are just a few!

This isn’t just a fun “all about me” exercise, though. Actually, this quite challenging because I can see where the Lord has given me interests and passions—and how unintentional I often am about using them to serve Him, the One toward whom they were created to be oriented. I’m guilty of making that awful, very false “sacred/secular” dichotomy. Because I do that, I ignore the “secular” passions and don't consider how I can gear them toward serving the Lord. And I also can ignore the “sacred” when I forget that God really does gift each of us differently, for the purpose of building up His body—and so I forget to look for what passions and gifts He’s uniquely outfitted me with.

So here is what I have to ask myself: Which of my God-given passions do I need to develop more? How, specifically? Which have I not necessarily been viewing as opportunities to serve the Lord and others? How can I use those passions/interests for that purpose?

It’s a subject for some reflection, I think...and might be an interesting exercise for any of us.