Passionate People

 "Passionate People can walk into an empty place and see it filled. Passionate people can take a nothing job and turn it into something, Passionate people can take a blank sheet of paper and make something out of it, Passionate people can be creative, UNTIL you make them mad. Passionate people will flip out on you and turn into something you've never seen before. David would fight, David would kill, David would murder, in fact one of his problems is that he shed so much blood that He couldn't build God's house. David was a killer. Oh he was a lover yeah, he was passionate about that too but he was a killer.........You know how people are that are passionate, they Flip out then apologise." - TD Jakes (Sermon title "God's GPS")



Passion is something that is in all of us. We might think people aren't passionate because they don't have the same passions as you but they may be passionate about something completely different. Passion comes in various forms. Some people are passionate about computers. They may be shy and quiet in other situations but plonk them in front of a computer and tell them to do something that seems impossible and they can take a few hours and do the impossible.
Some have a passion for sports. They could be a mild mannered Peter Parker in the office or home or church, but tell them that the Lions are going to be up against the Crows this weekend and they'll fly around the room like Spiderman while reciting to you the Win-Loss statistics from the time the Lions used to be the Brisbane Bears.
Some people can express their passion in writing. Poetry, novels, journalism and everything in between. These are the people whose wrtings are not just a chore but you can sense their passions through what you read. Passionate people are those that would give up everything they have for their passion. It could be their talent, a sport, a team, a band, or in some cases a person or even God. Passionate people like Martin Luther King who gave up his life for the cause of freedom; like the martyrs in the church who were killed for believing in God; like Gandhi who sacrificed his own wellbeing on countless occassions to push forward in the hopes that India would become an independent state.
Ever seen a man jump around like crazy while wearing a business suit in church? That's passion.
Ever heard of a man who would give up house and home to move across the nation to be with someone he passionately loves and is pursuing? That's passion.
Ever heard a man speak in front of an audience without a script with tears running down his cheek as he speaks his heart? That's passion.

I'm usually a quiet person and shy but I do get passionate. I do. people may not believe it but I do. I could spend hours researching how to get to a different city because I feel God is leading me there and I want to be there. I could go out of my way to spend time talking to one person who I care about passionately even when I have work to do or places to be. I could fly over to surprise a friend so she would feel special and cared for instead of always having to make the first move herself.

But passionate people can also flip out. Passion can be expressed in love and compassion but it can also be manifested in war and struggle. Wars have been fought because of passionate people. Passionate people like the members of the legendary Nelson Mandela and his ANC made a stand against the ruling white leaders in South Africa, sometimes using violent means to express their passion for equality. Passionate people like Malcolm X who at the beginning of his jorney as a freedom fighter actually encouraged those that followed him to fight rather than be passive.

Passion goes both ways. But is there a right and wrong in the way passion is expressed? Was Martin Luther King Jr right in preaching passive ressistance or Was Malcolm X wrong to preach full resistance? Was Mahatma right or was the ANC? I can't comment on right or wrong. It is not my place to pass judgement. Every man, woman and child expresses their passions in different ways and their actions are judged by the results. I personally believe each of the people mentioned above lived out their passion and the result of their action is their vindication.

But for passion to work it needs a secret ingredient: HOPE. Passion is only able to be expressed when there is hope, no matter what the final goal is.
No person would have even thought of following these men if they did not believe and HOPE that by following them their people could one day taste freedom.
No person would bother calling themselves a fan of the South Sydney Rabbitohs even when they weren't in the league if they felt no HOPE of a comeback.
No person would ever write a novel if he had no HOPE that one day it could get published and read by millions of people looking for inspiration and imagination.
No person would preach if they did not feel HOPE that when they die they would be in heaven with God and with those that listen to their words.

No man would be willing to sacrifice his life for his friend if he did not have HOPE that the one he sacrificed his life for would take advantage of his sacrifice and do something great with it.
No man would give up house and home for a woman he feels dearly for if he had no HOPE to gain her affection and be with him for the rest of his life.

It's a RISK one takes when they allow their passions to take control. Some people take the risk and gain. Some take the risk and lose. People have died fighting for the freedom of their fellow man, people have been killed for writing inspiring books, people have been rejected by those they passionately loved. It's all part of the passionate life. The aim however is never to lose HOPE. Passion is what makes the world better; it makes life worth living but if hope is lost then no amount of passion would make the struggle worthwhile.

If you're a passionate person don't give up hope. Whatever your passion may be. If it's to see the Rabbitoh's win a premiership (I'm a Broncos fan so watch out :D ); to inspire generations with a novel comparable to C S Lewis; to give a community a hope and a future; to love someone so extravagantly it hurts; whatever your passion may be, no matter how hard it gets, no matter what comes against you, no matter who criticises you for being different or wierd or strange..... NEVER GIVE UP HOPE.

You were given those passions for a purpose. If it's the only thing you do in life then make it the best thing ever. You have passions so that you can improve your life and those of others. Don't ever stop being passionate and I promise you, even with the struggles and difficulties and opposition, in the end, the result of your passion will vindicate you and prove your critics wrong.