the God of passion

I admit I have been very very blessed in life when it comes to circumstances.. I haven't experienced very much suffering or struggles. Things have come relatively easy for me.

But I am beginning to appreciate a gift that God has given me.. and that is the gift of emotion. of passion.
Emotion and passion are often, I think, downplayed in the American society (the only society I can really speak about). Especially when it comes to God. We like to intellectualize our relationship with Him. But I've always always been a very emotional and passionate person when it comes to relationships. When it comes to love. My head is nowhere in it. My heart dictates what I do and I can't help it. Love is all about passion and emotion just as well as the work that goes into it every day. There needs to be a balance. And I think there's not a balance when it comes to our churches, to our relationship with God.

I always thought that my emotions and passion were a bad thing most of the time. They lead to being impulsive, blindness, weakness.. They're shallow, fleeting, etc.


But I am learning something different. My emotions and passion give me strength. I feel very very deeply. And because of that, I can cry with the people who are crying. I can rejoice with the people who are happy. And I can feel with the people who are in pain. My emotions and passion lead to COMpassion. The spur me on to do greater things. To want to make a difference with my life. They stir me out of complacency in my own comfortable bubble. When I feel, I cannot stand still and not act. I refuse to.

And that is the gift God has given me. Now I can view it as such... He is a God of passion, emotion and compassion as well. Otherwise, how would He be able to send His son in the first place?