Continuing on with the subject of loving God with all our hearts and loving one another based on how well we love ourselves, here are some questions I have asked myself:
1. As a child, did things you wanted to do make you cry?
It wasn't until my late forties I realized my desire to write was a passion I had not adequately pursued. Questions arose within me like: "Am I any good at it?", "Would anyone read the stuff I wrote?", "Other than time, could I afford this passion to write?", or "How can I write with no real experience, formal training, or a recognized ability to do so?"
It was at this point in life the child in me began to cry.
2. Would pursuing a passion in life advance more embarrassment from past failures that life has incurred?
The first step in learning to develop a particular interest or passion is the sheer recognition I am extremely vulnerable as to what I am about to do. It becomes a rather devious scenario I find myself in because if it turns out I really suck at writing, the end result is the same as other interests I have seemingly failed in...embarrassment.
It appears my desires in life have a well guarded wall that protects me from embarrassment: avoid the issue altogether. Feeling vulnerable to "faith-like" projects have stopped me in the past from achieving things that are important and passionate to me. Questions begin to pop up in my mind such as: " If I fail at this I will look like an idiot...again," or "If I focus on writing (for example), other things important to me in life will be neglected like my career, my kids, or my wife," or " I simply don't have the expertise to pursue this deep-hearted passion."
It was at this point in life I realized I am no longer going to fight the feelings of embarrassment, instead I will embrace embarrassment and let it be a strength in pursuing my passion(s) in life. Embarrassment isn't as big a character as it appears, kind of like the wizard in "The Wizard of Oz", you remember?..."I am the great wizard!", when it reality it was a small man behind a curtain. And here is something else I discovered, innocent embarrassment is a form of humility that leads to...admiration.
3. What is my favorite flavor in a "Crappy Meal" and does it come with jalapenos?
I have learned through the lives of others everything one pursues in life has a cost and is accompanied with sacrifice. In my own life I have found not everything in life is happy, pleasurable, and uplifting all the time.
Stories of success in others are often filled with works of an almost endless series of rejections, disappointments, and failures, yet real success is found in the evolvement of a particular passion, the drive to continue on and focus on what your after, sometimes not even clear as to what that is, yet the passion keeps pushing one forward.
It was at this point in life I realized life and the pursuit of a passion is not always "tasty", yet if one likes jalapenos, put them in there and make the unpleasurable stuff as enjoyable as you can.
4. What kind of influence do I want to be?
There is a rather crude reality that inhibits the minds of many: the world is messed up and we are all going to die. What can anyone do about it? It seems it is simply a matter of picking your poison and drinking it slowly.
Yet from a Christian viewpoint in life it doesn't have to end there. There is a power available to us that can provide a positive swing through any unique passion we have in our lives. It's our choice and this journey begins in the examination of our own hearts. Our success in any passion we might pursue can not be measured monetarily, by popularity, or the sense of accomplishment. Real success is measured by how well it helps our fellow man.
One of my favorite passages of Scripture is from Hebrews 12:2. I have never found the Sacred Scriptures to promise happiness to a believer in Christ Jesus because happiness is based on circumstantial evidence. Yet the Scriptures do offer joy to every believer and is available to us even when we are facing the most adverse circumstance in life.
As I consider the life of Jesus when He was one of us during His time on earth, there are two things I would like to address in reference to this passage out of Hebrews 12:2.
First, it is He who must be given the credit to being the originator or author of our passions in life. The Greek word used in the New Testament has the meaning of "our captain" or "our prince."
Second, the word for perfecter is used only once in the entire New Testament from the original Greek, and it is located here in this verse. It has the literal meaning of one who entirely finishes or completes...our passions in life.
Pursuing a passion in life includes a discipline and a mindset much like running a long distance race.
A Gleaning from Hebrews 12:2
" How do we pursue our passions in life? We do this by looking away from things that might distract us or rob us of our God-given gifts. Instead, we focus our thoughts on Him, who is both our captain and our only true leader in regards to the source of our faith. He is equally the finisher and will complete any passions in life He has deposited within us. He will bring to maturity those heart felt desires we have...yet this can only be accomplished through Him.
Study closely how He did it!
He never lost sight of His passion, which is each one of us. He actually considered His life a joy because of what the outcome would bring, full restoration in relationships between Himself, His Father, and...each one of us. He went as far as to endure a horrible death on a Roman cross, disregarding the shame and embarrassment it might bring, because His heart of passion for us knew, He really knew, He would return to His Father and placed in a seat of honor beside His Father. Yet, He would not take that seat...unless each one of us were able to come with Him."
I have a few more questions about passions....
1. As a child, did things you wanted to do make you cry?
It wasn't until my late forties I realized my desire to write was a passion I had not adequately pursued. Questions arose within me like: "Am I any good at it?", "Would anyone read the stuff I wrote?", "Other than time, could I afford this passion to write?", or "How can I write with no real experience, formal training, or a recognized ability to do so?"
It was at this point in life the child in me began to cry.
2. Would pursuing a passion in life advance more embarrassment from past failures that life has incurred?
The first step in learning to develop a particular interest or passion is the sheer recognition I am extremely vulnerable as to what I am about to do. It becomes a rather devious scenario I find myself in because if it turns out I really suck at writing, the end result is the same as other interests I have seemingly failed in...embarrassment.
It appears my desires in life have a well guarded wall that protects me from embarrassment: avoid the issue altogether. Feeling vulnerable to "faith-like" projects have stopped me in the past from achieving things that are important and passionate to me. Questions begin to pop up in my mind such as: " If I fail at this I will look like an idiot...again," or "If I focus on writing (for example), other things important to me in life will be neglected like my career, my kids, or my wife," or " I simply don't have the expertise to pursue this deep-hearted passion."
It was at this point in life I realized I am no longer going to fight the feelings of embarrassment, instead I will embrace embarrassment and let it be a strength in pursuing my passion(s) in life. Embarrassment isn't as big a character as it appears, kind of like the wizard in "The Wizard of Oz", you remember?..."I am the great wizard!", when it reality it was a small man behind a curtain. And here is something else I discovered, innocent embarrassment is a form of humility that leads to...admiration.
3. What is my favorite flavor in a "Crappy Meal" and does it come with jalapenos?
I have learned through the lives of others everything one pursues in life has a cost and is accompanied with sacrifice. In my own life I have found not everything in life is happy, pleasurable, and uplifting all the time.
Stories of success in others are often filled with works of an almost endless series of rejections, disappointments, and failures, yet real success is found in the evolvement of a particular passion, the drive to continue on and focus on what your after, sometimes not even clear as to what that is, yet the passion keeps pushing one forward.
It was at this point in life I realized life and the pursuit of a passion is not always "tasty", yet if one likes jalapenos, put them in there and make the unpleasurable stuff as enjoyable as you can.
4. What kind of influence do I want to be?
There is a rather crude reality that inhibits the minds of many: the world is messed up and we are all going to die. What can anyone do about it? It seems it is simply a matter of picking your poison and drinking it slowly.
Yet from a Christian viewpoint in life it doesn't have to end there. There is a power available to us that can provide a positive swing through any unique passion we have in our lives. It's our choice and this journey begins in the examination of our own hearts. Our success in any passion we might pursue can not be measured monetarily, by popularity, or the sense of accomplishment. Real success is measured by how well it helps our fellow man.
One of my favorite passages of Scripture is from Hebrews 12:2. I have never found the Sacred Scriptures to promise happiness to a believer in Christ Jesus because happiness is based on circumstantial evidence. Yet the Scriptures do offer joy to every believer and is available to us even when we are facing the most adverse circumstance in life.
As I consider the life of Jesus when He was one of us during His time on earth, there are two things I would like to address in reference to this passage out of Hebrews 12:2.
First, it is He who must be given the credit to being the originator or author of our passions in life. The Greek word used in the New Testament has the meaning of "our captain" or "our prince."
Second, the word for perfecter is used only once in the entire New Testament from the original Greek, and it is located here in this verse. It has the literal meaning of one who entirely finishes or completes...our passions in life.
Pursuing a passion in life includes a discipline and a mindset much like running a long distance race.
A Gleaning from Hebrews 12:2
" How do we pursue our passions in life? We do this by looking away from things that might distract us or rob us of our God-given gifts. Instead, we focus our thoughts on Him, who is both our captain and our only true leader in regards to the source of our faith. He is equally the finisher and will complete any passions in life He has deposited within us. He will bring to maturity those heart felt desires we have...yet this can only be accomplished through Him.
Study closely how He did it!
He never lost sight of His passion, which is each one of us. He actually considered His life a joy because of what the outcome would bring, full restoration in relationships between Himself, His Father, and...each one of us. He went as far as to endure a horrible death on a Roman cross, disregarding the shame and embarrassment it might bring, because His heart of passion for us knew, He really knew, He would return to His Father and placed in a seat of honor beside His Father. Yet, He would not take that seat...unless each one of us were able to come with Him."I have a few more questions about passions....
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