So late lee I’ve been thinking about passion…not red hot steamy passion…tee hee. I’ve been thinking about passion for life, for family, for work, for anything.  As I sipped on my coffee this morning, I was filled with warm pleasure as that first sip was steamy hot. It made me want to take another, but as I busied myself doing something, I forgot about my coffee. I went to take a sip and was taken aback by the lukewarm temperature. I grimaced as I swallowed hard choking it down.  Then it struck me like a log on the head that I could be living my life lukewarm.  

Do we go through seasons of life that seem lukewarm? Maybe life is just rolling along with no real surprises either good or bad. Your car is on auto-pilot as you get in to a cycle of going to work and returning home without taking any detours.  The scenery along your route is as predictable as the underwear you are going to wear on Tuesday. Your to do list consists of the same tasks at work and at home. The mailbox consists of the same bills each month and fortunately the amount needed to pay them remains the same.  Your bible sits on the table in the same spot actually gathering dust because there’s been no trials to test you so prayer isn’t needed, right? Wrong! 

I truly believe that God wants us to live our life like we are on fire and passionate about sharing His word! Beth Moore’s bible study, The Quest, is a wonderful journey of scripture that dances across all books in the Old and New Testament.  I’ve read blogs of criticism on this study and read entries of pure joy as young Christians have found themselves on the path of the cross. I believe the journey is unique to each person who embarks on that path.  

No Christian walk is the same as another. In all honesty, I have found myself detoured many times. I had a wonderful Sunday school teacher who would simply draw a cross on the whiteboard. He’d mark an “x” indicating where you were then put an “x” outside of the cross indicating your detour. The crux of the image was to provide a visual of how  you reenter the walk or journey at the very spot you detoured, because you can’t grow as a Christian outside of the cross.  

 If I had the image drawn on a wall in my home the “x” would be all over the place and I honestly reveal that I feel it in my life when the “x” is not on the path of the cross.  My life feels blah to say the least. My focus on the good gets blurred as I struggle between making right and wrong decisions. I recognize very quickly where my “x” is sitting.  I dust my Bible off and read. I’m not one who can recite scripture to you, but I do have a few that resonate with me. I used to post scripture in my bathroom at work. I needed the constant reminders of His word because I would cling to them like safety nets during times that I’m tested.  It’s my way of making sense of things. For example in James, 1:2, we are reminded that we should celebrate with joy when we face trials of any kind. So, what does that mean? Celebrate? Really? Well, I’m not a theologist, but I interpret this to mean that we are all going to face tests, but we can be thankful for these because God uses those times to remind us of his presence.  God sent his son to die for our sins. He resurrected him from the dead leaving behind an empty tomb. He can surely help us with our problems.  

I do know that when I am walking a closer walk with God, the passion for everything in my life amps up! I realize that I don’t need external things to help me find joy in my work, family, marriage, or ____________(simply fill in the blank with anything).  When God fills your heart, you recognize that you are at peace…content. I’m excited about what I do and I look for ways that I can show others that Christ dwells within me. Do I fail at this? YES! Often. I let my heart get hard with anger and jealousy.  That’s Satan trying to control me. Well, I rebuke him in the name of my Lord and Savior, Jesus! 

Life is meant to be lived. Let me say that again…LIVED!  Lived like a hot cup of coffee. Lived like you are boiling water at 212 degrees.  Lived like a noodle cooked just right. Lived like a steam engine rolling down the tracks! Getting the picture? Live like you are on fire for life! We can do that by trusting our God. Having faith in the plans He has for our life. We can let go of the control we want to have on our life and realize the real pilot has the wheel!