Tuesday, April 11, 2006
Passions
Whether or not you follow NASCAR you have probably heard about the little “cat” fight in the pits this weekend. Seems Greg Biffle’s girlfriend got really mad when Kurt Busch took her honey out in the race. She made her way over to Busch’s pits and told his little girl friend off…..No hair pulling, no hitting, just a friendly confrontation brought on by frustration and anger. Michael Waltrip compared it to soccer and baseball Mom’s who just get so involved in supporting their man/child that they can’t help but express that emotion. I think he may be on to something. But to be fair this has been a season of high emotions; Gordon got mad and pushed Kenseth down. Tony got scared and talked about somebody getting killed. (then proceeded to chase down and wreck Jeff Gordon…I loved it). My new favorite “bad-boy” Kevin Harvick trash talked Kurt Busch vowing to get even with him if he got in his way. Yep, lots of emotion you might even say a lot of passion.
Oddly enough this morning my Lent devotional was on passion. Jesus’ ministry went from teaching, preaching, healing and moving to wherever he wanted to go to being handed over. Once he was handed over he was beaten, crowned with thorns, spat at, laughed at, stripped and nailed to a cross. This is where his passion begins and he fulfills his vocation.
Nouwen states that it is important to remember that Jesus was not able to fulfill his mission by what he did but rather by what was done to him. In the same way our lives are determined more by what is being done to us and thus is passion. Only small parts of our lives are determined by what we think, say or do (no matter how much we protest) and passion is a much greater part of our lives than action.
What do I do with this? Do I give up my thinking, acting self and give in fully to what others “do” to me? I don’t think so. But I do think we must embrace the passion in our lives. I think that we long to. I think we are passionate people and the reason many of us feel incomplete is because we have not found the way to embrace and express the passion inside. The axis of our lives is the emotions we feel along the way, the happiness, embarrassment, anger, frustration, devotion and love. While I am not advocating that we get into fights or shoving matches, I do think it is vital for us to realize how our passions shape our lives..
Oddly enough this morning my Lent devotional was on passion. Jesus’ ministry went from teaching, preaching, healing and moving to wherever he wanted to go to being handed over. Once he was handed over he was beaten, crowned with thorns, spat at, laughed at, stripped and nailed to a cross. This is where his passion begins and he fulfills his vocation.
Nouwen states that it is important to remember that Jesus was not able to fulfill his mission by what he did but rather by what was done to him. In the same way our lives are determined more by what is being done to us and thus is passion. Only small parts of our lives are determined by what we think, say or do (no matter how much we protest) and passion is a much greater part of our lives than action.
What do I do with this? Do I give up my thinking, acting self and give in fully to what others “do” to me? I don’t think so. But I do think we must embrace the passion in our lives. I think that we long to. I think we are passionate people and the reason many of us feel incomplete is because we have not found the way to embrace and express the passion inside. The axis of our lives is the emotions we feel along the way, the happiness, embarrassment, anger, frustration, devotion and love. While I am not advocating that we get into fights or shoving matches, I do think it is vital for us to realize how our passions shape our lives..
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I'll take passion over a bunch of church deadheads any day! I used to be a deadhead... bless 'em... and it works for awhile. But then God brings us to that place where our coping mechanisms aren't producing the same results. It's a crucial time in life. Uncomfortable. Exciting. Scary. Inviting. Unknown.
No wonder the very word passion shares the root of suffering.
I like the definition that passions are emotions that are deeply stirring or ungovernable. Only God can reign in something this big.
Passions. Much more than a soap opera. :-)
No wonder the very word passion shares the root of suffering.
I like the definition that passions are emotions that are deeply stirring or ungovernable. Only God can reign in something this big.
Passions. Much more than a soap opera. :-)
# posted by 
: 1:39 PM, April 11, 2006
: 1:39 PM, April 11, 2006
Good job with this today. After reading I didn't much want to post on it. It left me pretty humble. Reading on Jesus baptism in McKnight's book along with this mornings devotional with Nouwen left me feeling quite passionate in my own failings. You did good.
Did you read what Terri's Mom wrote. Should I be worried.
Did you read what Terri's Mom wrote. Should I be worried.
Passion: The etymological origins of this meaning of the word lie in the Latin passio that first appears in the 2nd century, precisely to describe the travails and suffering of Jesus in this present context. All the other meanings of "passion" have been derived from this one. (web dictionary)
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