As I write this post our country is wrapped up in one of the most heated and passionate debates of our time. No, it is not about healthcare. No, no, nothing to do with our involvement in foreign war. It is about whether to eat at Chick-fil-a or to not eat at Chick-fil-a. Now, I have a dog in this race like most as I believe a certain way in regards to the subject matter at heart. If for any reason you have no clue what I am talking about as it relates to this...good for you. I implore you not to bother finding out and to let me come live with you as you apparently live in a magical place void of all nonsense.
I am not going to dig any deeper into the Chick-fil-a debate here, but what it has done has gotten me thinking about the word "passion" and the things that we are passionate about. The dictionary has several definitions listed for the word which relate to things like intense feelings, drive and desire. But they also list a definition related to suffering. In fact the word comes from the Latin word 'passus' which literally means "suffering". (Let's pause briefly as you regroup from being blown away by my intelligence). No, I know many of you already knew that the word is related to the meaning of suffering and and especially to Christ. You certainly remember the movie by the name The Passion of the Christ.
I am willing to bet if you are a believer many of you are probably like me and willing to answer "yes" if asked if you are passionate about God. But I am also willing to bet that many of you are also like me in that you don't want a movie made titled The Passion of (Insert Your Name). Heck, we don't even want a short story, paragraph or sentence to be about it. But why not? Why can't we do a better job suffering for God on a daily basis? This is my challenge to myself and to you. Let's purposely find ways to be passionate for God daily. Let's suffer for Him by simply being the one who doesn't participate in that conversation our friends or co-workers have even if we feel left out. Let's suffer for Him by being the one who doesn't hold a grudge at the guy driving the car that cut you off because he was so busy drinking his $8 coffee and texting on his cell that he didn't realize his turn was coming up. (this one might be tough). Let's suffer for Him by simply saying no to the TV for a bit and giving him our time each day in prayer and thanks.
So, I am going to keep track as best I can and post in the future with some examples of both my successes and failures. I would be interested for anyone else to do the same by leaving a comment to the post. And by anyone, I mean the select person who actually knows this blog exists, has the password to access it and thinks to check it once in a blue moon. Yeah, that means both of you.
I am not going to dig any deeper into the Chick-fil-a debate here, but what it has done has gotten me thinking about the word "passion" and the things that we are passionate about. The dictionary has several definitions listed for the word which relate to things like intense feelings, drive and desire. But they also list a definition related to suffering. In fact the word comes from the Latin word 'passus' which literally means "suffering". (Let's pause briefly as you regroup from being blown away by my intelligence). No, I know many of you already knew that the word is related to the meaning of suffering and and especially to Christ. You certainly remember the movie by the name The Passion of the Christ.
I am willing to bet if you are a believer many of you are probably like me and willing to answer "yes" if asked if you are passionate about God. But I am also willing to bet that many of you are also like me in that you don't want a movie made titled The Passion of (Insert Your Name). Heck, we don't even want a short story, paragraph or sentence to be about it. But why not? Why can't we do a better job suffering for God on a daily basis? This is my challenge to myself and to you. Let's purposely find ways to be passionate for God daily. Let's suffer for Him by simply being the one who doesn't participate in that conversation our friends or co-workers have even if we feel left out. Let's suffer for Him by being the one who doesn't hold a grudge at the guy driving the car that cut you off because he was so busy drinking his $8 coffee and texting on his cell that he didn't realize his turn was coming up. (this one might be tough). Let's suffer for Him by simply saying no to the TV for a bit and giving him our time each day in prayer and thanks.
So, I am going to keep track as best I can and post in the future with some examples of both my successes and failures. I would be interested for anyone else to do the same by leaving a comment to the post. And by anyone, I mean the select person who actually knows this blog exists, has the password to access it and thinks to check it once in a blue moon. Yeah, that means both of you.
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