Developing Passion

Is there anything you can’t get enough of?  A hobby, travel, a favorite band, Downton Abbey or certain foods?  The thrill of attending a concert, boarding an airplane or tuning into PBS on Sunday evening is delightful.  Now, imagine how gypped you’d feel if the band only performed one song,  or Downton Abbey was cut to 15 minutes rather than an hour.  When the time you anticipated sharing, with something or someone you are passionate about, is cut short, you should feel bummed out. Which brings me to my point for the day: where is your passion?

While having lunch with 2 women, both of whom are Christians, one of them complained that their pastor had dragged out his sermon to almost 20 minutes!! “Can you imagine”, she said, “anyone should be able to make their point in 5-10 minutes tops!”  I know this woman loves God, but for some reason,  she can only tolerate small amounts of his word. I smiled to myself, but inwardly the Holy Spirit was deeply saddened. Why wouldn’t you want to linger with the one you adore? I imagine that most Christians, myself included, would put Christ at the head of their Passion List, as He well should be.  But how much time do we really want to spend with him?  Let’s delve into the word passion for a minute.  When you are passionate about something it’s because it brings you happiness,  inspires, encourages or motivates you.  The object of your passion, be it human or otherwise, imbues us with a sense of completeness and joy,  yet, happily you are never sated.  How  does one develop a passion then?  The #1 way is by spending time with the object of your affection. Be honest where does your time go?  I’ve heard it said that if you look on your appointment/activity calendar, and your bank statement you’ll have your answer.   Where our time, talents and money goes, so goes our passion.  Is my face red.

While I love hearing God’s word preached, and I attend a church where the sermon always lasts at least 20 minutes, I could do a lot better when it comes to Bible reading, or extended prayer.  Imagine that a dear friend, whom you love, calls.  After 15 minutes you tell them you need to hang up, because they haven’t made their point.  That is harsh! Now think about how that person on the other end feels. Ouch! But, that’s exactly what we do to Jesus.  “I love you man, as long as you don’t interfere with my real life.” If you don’t “love” being with Jesus, if you’re not eagerly awaiting his call, hanging on his every word and savoring his presence, ask God to help you with reevaluating that list of yours.  Start today by spending some quality time in his presence, the longer you linger, the more your passion will grow.