Living with Passion

I managed to take in some of the live streaming of the Passion 2012 conference.  Amazing!I imagine the people who planned, produced and participated in the conference are exhilarated and exhausted.  That’s what Passion does to you.

So Many Passions

I am passionate about many things.  Some are highest priority:God:  Father, Son and Spirit; having an intimate relationship with HimBecoming the woman God intended me to be and doing all that He created me to doMy family:  loving, serving, encouraging them to be and do all God has for themThere are many other things I care about, even am passionate about:Fulfilling the Great CommissionUsing my talents, pursuing my gifts—writing, speaking, encouragingLifting up, encouraging God’s daughtersLiving out the Great CommandmentPraying for prodigalsFreeing enslaved, trafficked women and childrenAdopting orphansServing the poorRedeeming prisoners and children of prisonersLoving my neighbor and the person across the globeAs exhilarating as addressing these various passions might be, I could quickly get on passion overload.  I could become emotionally and physically exhausted.At the Passion conference, this generation was called to rise up, to follow Jesus, to be part of bringing freedom to millions of enslaved people around the globe.  They were asked to give for freedom—and they did, about $3.5 million.  And they were challenged to offer their lives to God to whatever He calls them to.

Living with Passion

Clearly, I can’t do something tangible about all of the things I am passionate about.  But I can live out the passions God calls me to.  How do I do that?  Here are a few general ideas that help me live passionately:

1. Seek God and His Kingdom first.  He is my main passion, and He says all the rest will be added.
2. Know my true priorities and focus on them:  family, close friends, job/ministry/calling
3. Be developing and living out of the strengths and gifts and passions God has put into me.
4. When other needs/opportunities stir up passion in me, I have these responses:

•                      God, is this something you want me to engage in?
•                      Do I know someone who might want to be involved in this need?
•                      Should I give to this?
•                      Do I have other resources that could help?
•                      I use social media to make others aware of the need.
•                      And always, I can make a real and significant contribution to this issue by praying.

Realistically, I seem to live on passion overload a lot, and I often try to do too much.  God is helping me to see that I make my best contributions when I focus on His calling and priorities for me.  But I can play a role in precipitating passion in others and generating action to meet needs.And you?  What are your passions?  How are you living them out?c 2012 Judy Douglass