Every civilization in the record of humanity have asked basic questions about our existence. It is inherent for us to ask…
Who are we? – Where did we come from? – Who OR what force created us? – How did we get here? – What is our meaning OR purpose? – Do we have a destiny? – Is there something greater than us out there?
We ask ourselves these questions more deeply as we get older and mature, as we educate ourselves, and as we begin to practice our individual wisdom. We gain confidence to answering these questions as we test them through life experiences. We lose doubt and become more vocal about our beliefs. We surround ourselves with people who share the same mindset and become offended when others don’t agree. We choose to feed our beliefs from what we search on the Internet, the shows we watch on television, the books we read, and the influence of those around us. Whether we choose to realize it or not, sequentially we become passionate for what we believe in as we feed our personal beliefs knowledge and experience. Before we know it we are donating our time, energy, and money to the things we are passionate about. It comes natural and it brings us a sense of joy by manifesting our beliefs.
Some of us are passionate about the safety of animals and the well-being of our planet. They become agitated when they learn of people who drive a SUV, don’t recycle, or don’t like cats. Some of us view that as misplaced passion. They roll their eyes at the “tree huggers” and attempt to persuade people to build a bunker, stock up on food, purchase an abundance of weapons and ammunition to prepare for government collapse. Obviously, some of us view that as misplaced passion. They roll their eyes at the “conspiracy theorist” and live a reckless life of bar hopping on the weekends, constant job change, hours devoted to video games, say “YOLO” all the time, and live with their parents through most of their 20’s. Undeniably, so many of us view that lifestyle as misplaced passion. They roll their eyes at the “sleepwalkers” and devote themselves to their careers, fast cars, overpriced vacations, and a huge home in the suburbs. Once again, so many of us view the “yuppie” lifestyle as a misplaced passion. The examples of misplaced passions are literally endless. Especially when you begin to compare your passions with other people’s.
As westerners, we play the fool about forcing our opinions and beliefs down the throat of those who don’t agree. We broadcast our politics, religion, and stereotypes passionately through social media and eye to eye disagreements. I’ve been guilty of this sort of misplaced passion myself. Fortunately, I have found a better way. It is simply to LOVE! It is extremely messy because it is relational and I choose to forgive quickly and be transparent. It is absolutely impossible for anybody to view the approach of love as misplaced passion. Here’s an example, some day I’m going to have a funeral (hopefully the room isn’t too empty). The man or woman officiating will speak about how Nate was a salesman, waiter, electrician, plumber, carpenter blah blah. He enjoyed the outdoors by backpacking, canoeing, hunting, fishing blah blah. A few years or so years later, only family and close friends will remember me. I will not go down in history as a Bruce Lee, Sigmund Freud, or Mark Zuckerberg (all atheists). However, it is my mission in life to be recognized at my funeral as man who showed love instantaneously to everyone he was eye to eye with. A man who didn’t have it all figured out but knew how to love and to forgive and was slow to anger and judgement. A genuine man who wasn’t afraid of saying, “I love you” even if it was weird and not at all expecting to hear it back. At my funeral, I want to be identified as a man who loved the yuppie, the conspiracy theorist, the tree hugger, the sleepwalker, the LGBT, the Muslims, and even my enemies. There are those who roll their eyes and say that my passion is misplaced. However, Jesus modeled that kind of love. If my passion is misplaced then so was His. Jesus chose the company of the marginalized, the tax collectors, the diseased, and even a hooker. He was known as a
“friend of sinners” (Matthew 11:19).
He challenged the law of the religious leaders and transformed it into a law of love and grace. Ponder on this, Jesus fulfilled prophecy and predicted His own death, burial, and resurrection and then pulled it off! All of this was witnessed by thousands of disciples, Jews, Romans, and was even recorded by Josephus the historian. Jesus passionately and sacrificially laid His life down for all nations in the name of love. Someday at my funeral, I hope the same can be said about me. Until that day comes, I will offer myself as a living sacrifice in the kingdom of God. I will strive to be a passionate disciple in progress who constantly learns from mistakes. When it comes to the questions about our existence, I can boldly answer every one with a simple word, LOVE!
…His banner over me is love. Songs of Solomon 2:4
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