We have seen it in athletes and politicians and now and then in religious leaders such as Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King, Billy Graham, and Dorothy Day.
A driving passion is a joy to behold when it is given to a noble and righteous cause. It is unlikely that a noble or righteous cause will succeed without the driving passion of those who share the ideals of the mission.
However, it is not only the well-known athletes, politicians, religious leaders, and celebrities who need or demonstrate a driving passion. We can thank God that every day countless men and women give themselves fully to bringing a vision of the world inspired by Jesus Christ to reality.
These men and women place God at the center of their lives and place God’s will at the top of their priority list. Most often these heroic servants of Christ are not recognized and are invisible behind the scenes doing what they do best—loving God and neighbor with a pure love expressed in their actions every day of their lives.
A driving passion can be destructive to the person driven and to those in the way of that passion unless it is grounded in Jesus Christ. We can each fall prey and victim to a driving passion for the wrong purpose or goal.
Our only safety net is a life given completely and without reservation to God in Christ. Only then will our passions be directed, as was the passion of Jesus, for good and noble ends.
What is the driving passion of your life? Where will it lead you if you follow it for the rest of your life?
This is an excerpt from a book by Rueben P. Job.