As I write this the start of the World Cup is only days away, and the air is full of anticipation and excitement. However bad the economic situation, the buzz at the moment is football and our chances of winning the Cup. "Passionate" might be the word to express the emotions of so many dedicated followers of football. Everything else comes second to the overwhelming excitement of watching our team strive for the prize.
By the time you read this it might be all over. I wonder - how long did that passion last? And what will the next excitement be?
We all have "passions" of one kind or another, don't we? Interests, hobbies, activities that we love, something that gives us a lift and draws us apart from our daily routine. It's a kind of security that helps us put aside the cares of everyday life, and sets our mind at rest for a while. Sometimes of course it's people. People we look up to and love and trust. People we rely on, people who are always there for us whatever our circumstances.
Wouldn't it be wonderful to have an interest that doesn't fluctuate like the seasons, that doesn't set us on a roller-coaster ride of emotions that comes to an end and leaves us feeling flat and empty?
sense of security and inner peace. They're not fanatics, they're not weirdoes, they're ordinary folk like you and me who have found a contentment and a joy in a person they have met and learned to put their trust in.
His name is Jesus - Jesus Christ the Saviour. He has sorted out for us all the problems we have in relating to a God who can sometimes seem a million miles away. He is the connection between the God who created us and the person we are. To know him as our friend through life is to know not only his presence, but his power - power to overcome in an imperfect world. That's why people can be full of joy in church, whether it be in exuberant praise or quiet contemplation. They haven't flipped, they are simply using their passion in their own way to worship the one person who can walk with them and help in all their problems. There is a verse in the Bible that says, "THE JOY OF THE LORD IS MY STRENGTH."
The apostle Paul wrote, "I CAN DO ALL THINGS THROUGH CHRIST WHO GIVES ME STRENGTH" - even in the bad things we have to face in an imperfect world.
Billy Connolly once said, "There is no such thing as bad weather, only wrong clothes." Perhaps we approach God - Jesus Christ - with wrong understanding and expectations. He is there for us, and it is in his friendship that we can know joy and peace and contentment, and the power to live a victorious life.
Margaret