Weekly Thought – June 13, 2023
Fred enjoyed talented men and women with passion and clarity. One of the Fred questions all who knew him have answered: “What is your uniqueness?” Connecting uniqueness, direction, and passion intrigued Fred.
Focused Passion
Every effective leader is imbued with passion. Accomplishment is often in direct proportion to the intensity of the leader’s passion. It is contagious; sustaining for difficult times; and hope giving.
I like this definition: “Passion is concentrated wisdom with high energy in the pursuit of meaning.” My theologian friend Dr. Ramesh Richard said, “First in life, decide on your passion. What is your first love? If you have multiple passions, you will be ripped to pieces internally resulting in a random, fragmented life. If anything other than the Lord Jesus Christ is your first love, you will fall into idolatry.” This international proclaimer, philosopher, and professor voices his passion this way: “to make God well known and the Lord Jesus Christ look good.” His focused passion insures integrity of leadership.
The advantages of passion are many: purpose, intensity, concentration, and intentionality. Passion gives depth keeping us from the shallowness of mediocrity. Our life becomes a welder’s torch rather than a birthday candle.
Solzhenitsyn’s commitment to principle and truth drew from passion; Others that come to mind are: Mother Teresa’s lifetime work with the dying, Moody, Spurgeon, and Graham’s passion for souls, Edison’s drive for invention, and Churchill’s indomitable spirit stabilized the British.
There are men and women who are supernaturally gifted with passion beyond ordinary interest or intellectual curiosity. The ones I know understand the gifted nature and respect it. They can unite the heart and mind and spirit. They can lose themselves in a cause greater than themselves, dedicating themselves to a single purpose. The Apostle Paul put it this way: “This one thing I do.” And again, he said “I determine to know nothing but Christ Jesus and Him crucified.”
I listened as a young journalist interviewed an older, established writer. He went through his notes, then stopped and asked, “If you had your life to live over, what would you do?” Without hesitation the writer answered, “I would find something big enough to give myself to.”
This week think carefully about: 1) What is my uniqueness? 2) How do I connect my uniqueness, direction, and passion? 3) Who models well-used passion for me?
Words of Wisdom: “Passion gives depth keeping us from the shallowness of mediocrity.”
Wisdom from the Word: “But we passionately want each of you to demonstrate the same eagerness for the fulfillment of your hope until the end,” (Hebrews 6:11 NET Bible)