WF Pride
Positive Attitude and Passion for Life and Work
Chad Cottingham
Michael Jordan is arguably the best basketball player of all time. There are some people that may say Kobe Bryant, LeBron James or Even Magic Johnson was the greatest of all time – but I would strongly disagree. What made Michael Jordan so great? Why was he so good at what he did? Or was he born that way? The thing that set Michael Jordan apart from most was his passion for the game of basketball. He loved the game, and worked on his skills to be the best player he could possibly be. His passion to win and be the best drove everything he did.
There are many others that I think of in the same light, or having the same passion in their fields – Oprah Winfrey, Bill Gates, Einstein, George Lucas, and Billy Graham, just to name a few. People are drawn to individuals like this. People want to be like people like this. But what is passion? According to Wikipedia, ‘passion is a term applied to a very strong feeling about a person or thing. Passion is an intense emotion, compelling enthusiasm or desire for anything.’
Why are some people so passionate about what they do while others are not? Think about people you work with, people you’re related to, people you go to church with, people you see on TV, etc… What is it about them that drives them? What is it that sets them apart? Do you demonstrate passion in your life? Would those around you describe you as a passionate person? Why or why not?
The word passion actually comes from the Latin verb patere meaning to suffer. I didn’t realize it until I was studying for this topic and it makes perfect sense to me now. The movie ‘The Passion of the Christ’ dealt with Jesus death and crucifixion. God loved us so much that he let his own son suffer and die for our sins. Jesus Christ had such a strong intense emotion for each one of us to know him personally, to live with him eternally, that he was willing to suffer for us. Isaiah 53:5-6 But He was wounded and crushed for our sins. He was beaten that we might have peace. He was whipped, and we were healed! All of us have strayed away like sheep. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on him the guild and sins of us all – NLT.
“Dear Lord and Heavenly Father, thank you for loving us so much. Thanks for being so passionate about each of us. Help us to follow your lead and demonstrate passion each and every day – in our work, in our homes and in our communities, Amen.”