A-Z Day 18: Passion

Passion Flowers

From Journal 52 2014: Week 23 Passion

There are so many different definitions of Passion: a strong and barely controllable emotion; an intense, sexual love; an intense desire of enthusiasm for something; the suffering and death of Jesus...to name just a few.

What they all have in common is an energy, a creative  force; call it the Spirit it you will, that inspires, enriches and draws people towards  true integrity and wholeness of life.

If, like me, you profess  a Christian faith, a question you may well be faced with concerns your passion. What inspires you? What draws you? What brings you life? What for you is energising, life-giving?   Your  response to that may well take you further into exploration of  some of those tricky questions that Christ himself  was forever asking people : What do you want? What do you want me to do for you? Who do you say that I am? 

I'm still working this one out myself. What I have realised over the last few years is how much a part creativity plays in helping me understand and work through what's going on underneath the calm (What!!? says Mr GP) Greenpatch exterior. I love colour, quirky creativeness, making connections and helping other people to do the same.  Activities like art-journaling, as in  my Journal 52 picture above,  help bypass the old internal censor. When I write, I can manipulate, control and hide behind a mask; arty activities have a habit of breaking through this.

Another definition of Passion  of course, is the biblical account, dramatisation or musical setting of the Passion of Jesus. So, for the musical offering today, here's another favourite of mine: the wir setzen uns mit tränen nieder bach from Bach's St Matthew Passion.