Passion

By

B.J. Knefley

Passion, do you have it? What does it mean? Can you have passion for one thing and not another? Is it always good? Does it fulfill?

I’ve lived a life of passion. Passion about running, hobbies, work and a host of other things have filled my life, but has it always been what filled me? Can I have a life that is filled with passion while at the same time come up empty with living a fulfilled life? I believe we can.

I have always held to the idea that we need to live our lives with passion. Passion is what drives us, what pushes us forward or in the sense of a long-distance runner pushes us beyond the wall. Passion is simply what we hunger for, it’s why we get out of bed, it’s the fuel for why we do what we do. As much as it fills our life we can still feel unfulfilled, and dissatisfied. Why? Simply because our passion is about ourselves, our fulfillment, our happiness and what we desire for ourselves. In the end, as full as our lives might be, we come up empty.

The crucifixion of Christ is often referred to as the Passion of Christ. Not so surprising when you consider that it’s what Christ lived for. Remember, he said that he came to do the will of the Father, (John 6:38). In the plan of the Father, there stood a cross. What then was the passion of Christ about? The simple answer is that his passion was for others, not himself. This is where most of us differ because the passion we live out is about ourselves, what we want and rarely about others. Could it be that we’re missing the point? Are we chasing the wrong things to be passionate about? Rather than a self-filled life, maybe we need a selfless life.

Personally, I’ve been challenged to look back over my life and ask some difficult questions. Most importantly, have I been missing the point? Jesus said, “If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for me, you will find it.” (Mt 10:39). That seems quite clear doesn’t it. Think about it.