Is Passion Overrated?

Does God call us to pursue our passions?

I used to organize a premarital class, and in every session, someone was bound to ask the question, “What do you do when the passion dies?”

Passion. It’s overrated.

Sure, passion is exciting, infectious, and contagious. Passion is synonymous with desire, obsession, and zeal. When one thinks of passion, one tends to think of fire– big, roaring, uncontrollable flames that consume everything around them.

Sort of like when you try to get the grill going for a BBQ.

I’ve stopped using easy-light charcoal because they burn out too fast. Instead, when I need to light the grill, I build a pyramid of charcoals, soak it in a generous dose of lighter fluid, and set that baby ablaze. I love the whoosh/puff when it ignites, followed by the crackle as dancing flames lap at the sky. Though this is the biggest, most exciting part of the fire, you can’t cook anything on it at this point: these flames, which won’t last very long, would singe the surface of the food (often to a blackened crisp) while leaving the insides uncooked.  You need to wait until the roaring fire turns into a slow, steady burn that will cook your food evenly without charring it.

It’s the steady burn that does the job.

When the question about passion would arise during premarital classes, we’d point out that healthy, long-lasting marriages are built on factors such as faithfulness, mutual submission, and commitment, all of which are demonstrations of true love (and where true love exists, there is greater intimacy– which is what we really want in our relationships).  Passion, on the other hand, is also synonymous with lust, has a tendency to fizzle out, and can be self-centered– passion is often more about me feeling good than anything else.

This is not to say that passion is always a bad thing: most of us feel varying degrees of passion when we first fall in love, but to place too much emphasis on it is a recipe for failure. Passion works when it leads to a steadfast love, much like the flaming lighter fluid that ignites coals to a steady burn.

So why the marriage and BBQ analogy? The Church is the Bride of Christ, and in the Church, much emphasis has been placed on passion: we ask our leaders what they’re passionate about– what gets them excited– and encourage them to pursue these things.

Does God call us to pursue our passions? Or does He call us to be faithful and obedient?

I don’t think Moses was passionate about what God called him to do (Exod.4:13). Jonah wasn’t very passionate about going to Nineveh (Jonah 1). Even Jesus Himself asked the Father to “let this cup pass” (Matt. 26:39) on the eve of His work on the cross. (Interestingly enough, the word passion originally meant suffering and referred to Christ’s work on the cross, but took on new meanings over the centuries.)

My family didn’t go to Japan for two years because any of us had a heart for Japan, missions, or disaster relief beforehand. We went because God called us to, and when we heeded the call, we grew a heart for Japan. Then, when God called us to leave Japan and return to California, we didn’t leave because we were eager to go or had a fervent desire to return to our old community. We came back to California because God called us to, not because of our feelings or personal preferences.

To obey is better than sacrifice (1 Sam. 15:22), and obedience demonstrates a true, faithful, steadfast love for our Father, our Creator, our Bridegroom.

And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love. (2 John 1:6)

We might have felt a tremendous passion for Jesus when we first accepted Him, and perhaps we lamented once those feelings died down.

Then what?

At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. (Matt. 24:10-13 NIV)

Stand firm to the end.

Continue to pursue God, even when you don’t feel the same intensity of passion that you once did.

Seek greater intimacy with Christ. We can do so by demonstrating our love– a true, faithful, steadfast love– for Him through daily acts of obedience.

In what ways can you demonstrate this love today?