Don't be Passionate

Sometimes, I forget that it's uncool to be a geek, nerd, or otaku. It might be okay to watch a Miyazaki film or two, but don't become too absorbed. Or if you do, don't let anyone in the "real world" see it.

Sometimes, I forget that you're not supposed to love God so much, you can't keep it to yourself. You can do your Jesus thing at church or home, but don't tell people about it.

Sometimes, I forget that passion is scorned. "Love as you want," says the world, "but stay cool. Don't let me see any prolonged excitement from you."

There are exceptions to this rule, of course. For example, it's culturally acceptable to become borderline manic about a group of men wearing jerseys and throwing an oblong ball on Sundays.

But a lot of things aren't okay to be passionate about. Why?

Maybe it's because passion requires a response, and people don't know how to respond. Or they don't want to know. Or they know the right response, and they don't like it. It makes them uncomfortable.

Maybe it's because passion makes you vulnerable. You're putting your heart into something, and if it goes wrong, you'll be hurt. It's easier to close yourself to passion, to stand against excitement.

Maybe it's because passion has the power to change people, communities, countries, and even the world. Passion can bring the unknown, the new, the different. That's scary.

Don't be passionate, they say.

Don't make me uncomfortable.

Don't make yourself vulnerable, and if you must, then don't ask me to be vulnerable, too.

Passion is dangerous.

But passion is freeing.

We were made to be passionate.

We were made to feel deeply and love fully.

We were made to revel in creation,

to declare God's glory to the nations,

to sing and dance and shout our joy.

We were made by and for Jesus, whose passionate love took him to a painful death on a cross. Jesus, who wept for his dead friend, even though he was about to bring that friend back to life.

But don't be passionate, says the world. Don't be passionate about anime, sci-fi, or friends, and, most importantly, don't be passionate about God. Passion is for heroes and TV celebrities and maybe missionaries, but not for you.

Be a little quieter, they say.

I say, look to the geeks. Look to the otaku, the nerds, the fans constantly saturated in their fandoms. Look especially to those unafraid to tell the world about what they love. See their passion? They've tasted the wonders of enjoying something without reserve.

I say, look to the martyrs. Look to the men, women, and even children who are beaten and killed for their passionate faith in places like Nepal, Turkey, Senegal, and Somolia. They face painful persecution for sharing their beliefs, but they share it anyway. They know that, in Jesus, they can find more joy and life than found in anything else.

I say, be passionate. Live abundantly. Feel deeply. Love fully. Be who you were made to be.

Yes, do.

Be passionate.