Passive or Passionate?

Passive:
1. Receiving or subjected to an action without responding or initiating an action in return.
2. Accepting or submitting without objection or resistance.
3. Existing, conducted, or experienced without active or concerted effort.
Synonyms:  inactive, inert.

Passive courtesy laughs when the joke is not funny, feigns interest when the speaker is dull, is dutiful, if insipid.  Passive maintains a blank expression; she is pallid and nondescript.  Her catch phrases are: "I don't know," "I don't care," "Whatever you want is fine."  Passive is immobile, a victim of circumstance.  She is a milkweed blossom carried along by a rushing stream.  As she floats along, she sees things that spark her interest, catches glimpses of preferred pathways.  Momentarily, she struggles to voice her desire, even considers exerting the effort to turn over, swim for shore, and climb up the bank.  But she falls silent, turns back over, and continues her indolent voyage.  As she acquiesces to the stream's insistent pull, she pushes down the bile of regret, stuffs her resentment, blinks back stinging tears of longing.  "Oh well," she says to herself.  "It doesn't matter."

A Word Picture: Woods Fork creek

Butterflies pause, sun themselves on the rocks, languidly showing off their intricately patterned wings. Their wings open, close, open, close. A spider skitters over the rocks. Various bird calls fill the air space, between the stream's low murmur. Dappled green leaves wave gently against a mellow blue backdrop. Sunlight lands here on a fallen limb, there on a partly submerged rock. Upstream, the gravel bed shimmers like a magical cobblestone path. "Follow me," it invites. The water gently meanders, easing around rocks, under twigs, heading to destinations unknown. Shall I follow? The whispering stream both beckons and lulls. No, from the comfort of my chair I am content...to watch and wonder.

Don't Miss Today!

As I child, I enjoyed listening to my mom's long play records. One of her favorite genres was folk music. A wistful song from one of her albums offers an important reminder: "Today while the blossoms still cling to the vine, I'll taste your strawberries, I'll drink your sweet wine. A million tomorrows may all pass away e'er I forget all the joy that is mine today." Today calls out for attention; don't let its beauty and power be lost on you.

In this beautiful day, God may beguile you with the sweet scent of honeysuckle overflowing a fence. While you long for a cottage in the English countryside, he may point out the hills of Richwood Valley, which become deeper blue as they near the horizon. You may share secrets and laughter with your beautiful friends. Wow, you are blessed to have them! Today you may commune with God in the mysterious and wonderful relationship between the human and the divine- how awesome is that? Did you notice how handsome your husband is? He is a sight to behold; do you see that? You can unlock the beauty of today if you will attune your eyes to seeing it.

Besides being beautiful, realize that today has power. Motivational speaker M.J. Ryan in her book, "This Year I Will..." underscores a simple concept for achieving a goal: focus on today. Yesterday, you may have polished off a bag of Cheetos and a huge piece of chocolate cake. OK, that was yesterday! Let yesterday be a distant memory as today you focus on your goals for healthy eating and exercise. As I walked today, I said to God, "Help me do better with my thought life." The word that dropped into my heart was today. Suddenly, that prayer became much more powerful and concrete. Today communicates intentionality rather than wishy-washy desires. Matthew 6:34 says, "Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes." If I think I cannot have Andy's frozen custard for months, that is discouraging; I may just give up! But if I think about achieving my health goals for today, that is doable. That is powerful. And that's good for the heart and soul.

He chose me!

How that single diamond sparkled on my finger like a wave in the sunshine! I moved my hand gently about, admiring the light refracting from its facets. My heart understood the symbolism of that ring: I was "taken," chosen, and by such a man! Soon, I was to be fully his, and he mine, forever.

Pastor preached today about the concept of election: "For [God] chose us in him before the creation of the world..." (Ephesians 1:4). Some find this to be controversial; it does not seem fair for God to choose some and not others. How can some be condemned to hell if God did not choose them for heaven? This mystery cannot be fully explained, but it is something we each can personally understand. What I know is this: he chose me. Before he set about creating the universe, he already knew I would be one of his. He knew that if he just crooked his finger at me, I would waste no time running to his side. If he whispered my name, I would respond to him. He knew my heart would thrill at the closeness I felt with him during worship. He knew I would cherish the times he spoke to my heart. When I expressed emotion and offered petition in a language unknown to me, he knew the release and intimacy I would feel. In short, he knew that, to me, he would be irresistible. It was a sure thing that I would choose him, but he chose me first. I am his, and he is mine, forever.

Careless in the Care of God

"It's time for you to give more. You've done a lot of receiving; now YOU give." God urgently communicated this desire; it is to me a constant burning, an incurable ache. I searched my heart to determine how to see this vision realized. Should I teach? Maybe get my doctorate degree? I determined this was the path, and set off on an arduous 4-month mission to gain acceptance in Regent University's PhD program in Counselor Education and Supervision. Then the answer came back: no.

I spent much time in ensuing days walking, jogging, praying, crying. Reorganizing my thoughts and my life. One day as I walked, I noticed some feathery green moss protruding from some damp earth in the ditch. A lovely deep green with a hint of yellow, I admired its simple beauty. "How hard do you think it is for that moss to fulfill its life purpose?" God spoke to me. "Not too hard," I replied. "And if you are a clay pitcher that has come off the potter's wheel, how hard would it be for you to fulfill your life's purpose of pouring lemonade, for example?" He asked. "Not hard I guess," I said. "Do you think the pitcher would have to work really hard to make that lemonade pouring happen for itself?" "No, I guess not."

In Ephesians 3:7 (MSG), Paul shares his mission statement: "This is my life work: helping people understand and respond to this Message. It came as a sheer gift to me, a real surprise, God handling all the details." My own dreams were scattered puzzle pieces, my mind milling the pieces about, blind to how they fit together. But God was quieting me, comforting me, shutting down my passionate prayers. He was the gardener, he was the potter, the master designer. What was my responsibility? To be a blade of soft moss, reaching up for air, sunshine, and rain, allowing my roots to grow deep. To be a bit of clay spinning on the wheel, yielding to the Potter's touch as he designs me for specific usefulness. Just to be.

Do you feel anxious, burdened with the weight of responsibility? Hm, something's wrong, for Jesus says "my yoke is easy and my burden is light" (Matthew 11:30). In Matthew 6 he further points out, "Look at the birds, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, careless in the care of God. And you count far more to him than birds...If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers--most of which are never seen--don't you think he'll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you?" The parallel passage in Luke 12 records these words of Jesus: "Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom."

My aching heart understands that fulfilling my life's purpose is found in simply being who I am, intimately connected to who he is. Ah, I am set free from my striving! My dream fragments: "God, tell me things and I'll tell everyone!" and "God, let me be part of the conversation!"... My master knows these well and is creatively arranging the details of their fulfillment, which he'll delight in surprising me with later. I'm looking forward to it! And that's good for the heart and soul.