Steve-os Devos: By The Way.....What is your passion?

Two friends walk along the road. It had been a crazy week. Not too long ago there was unbridled excitement in their lives as it seemed like all the promises of history were finally coming true. There had been a big parade with so many people cheering. But then things went terribly wrong. The one who had healed people, spoke of God's kingdom coming to fulfillment, caused a fire to grow in the hearts of any who heard him, was arrested. Bizarre charges, a trumped up case, led to the worst possible conclusion...crucifixion. These two walked away after all that disillusioned, disheartened. Had they been duped? Was it too much to expect of God that such a horrible end could result in something unbelievably amazing?

These two evidently headed down the road just a bit overwhelmed by this sequence of events. Perhaps they were a bit confused as to what they had witnessed. They are joined though on their journey by a man who seems to have no clue about what has just happened. Flustered, and a bit surprised that anyone could have missed this event, the two briefly share a small summary with this stranger. He then proceeds to give them a long history lesson, pointing out the promises of God, revealing the presence of God's kingdom all around them as they walk together, the three of them down the road.

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Those of us familiar with this story from Luke's Gospel, are already in on this supreme "joke" on the two men. For the person that has appeared to them is the risen Jesus. While the three men talk, their hearts feel as if they are aflame, burning with an amazing passion that is a sign of God's love in the world.

Passion can be an amazing thing. Each of us has something that we are very excited about. It might be a particular hobby, an activity we participate in, our jobs, our families... But when we begin to talk about these things we find ourselves pulled along by our own enthusiasm while others must simply marvel at what we are saying, or roll their eyes in complete disinterest.

One of my favorite scenes of someone in the midst of passionate discovery is Ralphie in A Christmas Story. Ralphie's passion is Red Ryder and he deeply desires his own Red Ryder gun. He fantasizes about just what he could do with this amazing gift...things that only he can see. Every step of the way everyone tries hard to rob Ralphie of his passion for his quest. Parents, teachers, even the popular symbol of giving, Santa, tells Ralphie that such a toy would "shoot his eye out." No one can capture the passion that Ralphie has in his ongoing desire to acquire this toy gun.

The other night, I had a couple of amazing conversations with people. The conversations were not as deeply theological as you might expect. But they did have a lot to do with people's passion. The things that we talked about had to do with their personal experiences, the joys that were a part of their lives, and their passion for the work that they did. I watched as one person's eyes practically glazed over as they began to share all the great things about their products and how they were different from anywhere else. I heard about the needs of their business to adapt to the market and where they had to make adjustments. It was a conversation of great passion and I could not help but wonder if this person ever had a chance to really share that passion with anyone else.

Such is the way with those of us who come to share our passion for God. When we come alongside people, like yourself perhaps, who are just walking along the road of life a but overwhelmed, confused, or frustrated by the way the world works, we can only listen and subtly suggest that even in the midst of all this God is still at work. It is a wonderful opportunity to hear these amazing stories, and to enjoy the company of "strangers" while our hearts burn with a spirit that we often miss in our daily lives.

What things are you passionate about? When was the last time you really had a chance to share that passion with someone else? Why not stop by this week, or share your thoughts here, about the ways you live a "passionate" life that reminds you of God's grace and presence?