I could tell you what i am passionate about all day long. Or, you could look at my actions and know immediately.

It’s easy for me to say, “Oh, i LOVE this and that, and i’m SOOOOO into such and such!” But the proof of my passion isn’t in my words, it’s in my actions.

It’s so touchy to approach this subject, faith and works, because hearts are so tender. It’s usually assumed to be about whether i’m in or out, lost or found, loved or left. I’d really just like to have a sober discussion of what we are passionate about. Let’s assume love. We are loved. We are wanted. He found us and will never let us go. Now, let’s talk about our own passions.

Think about faith as potential energy. It’s not merely a ticket to ride someday, somewhere out there. Faith is power by which we live and move here and now. Remember, we walk BY faith. When we believe for something we have this potential energy stored up inside us. As part of it’s life cycle, that energy must be released. Faith works. Without action, well, it’s just not alive.

Don’t let this be a device of condemnation. Let it be a tool of evaluation. Look at your actions and observe what you are passionate about.

On my birthday i stayed up ridiculously late playing a game on my phone. I felt entitled, since it was, after all, “my day.” It would be deceptive if i did not admit that this has become somewhat of a common occurrence lately. Finally, a bit disgusted with myself, i went to bed. Sooz and i had planned to get up early so we could have coffee together before the whirlwind of the day came upon us. Guess what? I was tired. I hadn’t slept enough and i wasn’t very interesting company for my wife. Besides that, i didn’t feel quite right. A couple hours later i decided to steal a quick nap in hopes of feeling better before family activities really began. It wasn’t long before i was full-blown sick. Chills, fever, nausea, aches, exhaustion. Now, maybe i would have gotten sick no matter what, but i am sure that robbing myself of sleep did not help at all. I stayed in bed all day, missing out on precious time to visit with my parents, my brother and his family.

My words would tell you that i am passionate about my family and about maintaining good health, but frankly, my actions say otherwise. My actions say i am passionate about video games, leisure and self indulgence.

Now, i know that i do love my family and i know that i am loved! With those essential matters settled, i need to evaluate my passions and my actions. I have been giving priority to my enjoyment of video games over sleep and by extension my health and my availability to my family. In my heart, i value my family and my health more than video games, so, i need to do something. There is potential energy within me to serve my family, maintain good health and by extension, invest in my goals. That energy needs to be expressed in action.

So, i’ve decided to delete the games off of my phone for now. I’ve decided to go to bed when my wife goes to bed, instead of staying up late playing games. Is it wrong to stay up late and play games? Um... that’s not what this discussion is about. It’s about what my real passions are. I’m deciding to take my passions more seriously by putting them into action.