what are you passionate about?

November 2, 2003

japanese designer shin matsunaga gave a presentation to us on thursday for our class about his work and design. it was really quite interesting. what captivated me about this guy was how passionate he was about design. that's what has kept him going in the industry for so long (something like 35 years). it's what driven him to do the things he's done (he's done some amazing work, let me tell you). passion drives us to do the things we do. passion drives us to press on in midst of difficulty. passion affects all that it comes in contact with. passion influences things.

but can i say that passion in CHRIST does more than all that. it changes things. it changes us. it changes those around us. you cannot deny a person who is passionate about something, because their case for it is so unmistakenably evident in everything that they do. and in most cases, it rubs off on others. passionate people have a way of affecting the lives of others, just like the way shin's passion for design affected the other students in my class. but passion, in its raw state is somewhat transient. one person's passion doesn't necessarily reflect that of another. and so, perhaps for a fleeting moment, a connection is made. but simply for a fleeting moment. a brief passing of time. in Christ, however, passionate followers have the potential of affecting real change in people (through the work of the Holy Spirit). when we live radical and sold out lives for the cause of Christ (aka we're passionate about Christ), people will see that. and they will wonder. in a me-centric society, any thing that opposes that norm is unusual and will be a motivation for much questions. and when they ask, we'll be prepared to respond to them.

what are you passionate about? who are you passionate about? your response to that, will influence the way you live your life.