Sucking the Passion

Isn't it a drag? Last weekend, I had the great pleasure of being with a group of people I really like. A graduation party for the daughter of some friends. Great time was had by most.

But there's always one. One person who perpetually sucks the life and passion out of everyone they meet. Worse than the "Debbie Downer" you can walk away from easily and laugh off. This person drains the life out of you by neutralizing anything that isn't ordinary or expected.

Imagine. Just imagine if Walt Disney has settled for that dissatisfying afternoon at the merry go round with his daughter. Think what it would be like if Steven Jobs passed by some opportunities to change the way a computer was looked at or used. But the naysayers and the status quo believers have been around as long as time!

What about you? Are you the next Jules Verne but afraid to actually write that novel? Could you be another Abe Thiessen (look him up!)? And of course, no one is the next Jesus the Christ, but even the Son of God had his closest friends tell him he couldn't go to the cross the give up his life for a people he loved. But He pressed on- and changed the course of eternity for millions.

So, what about you? Let me challenge you as I challenge myself- don't avoid those who pull you down but do not let them determine your future, your path. Don't let them kill the passion inside of you! Don't let them suck it out until you shrivel up and die. And don't do it to yourself by believing you have no purpose, no power, no course. Or by letting media absorb you into being a spectator in life instead of a participant. God created you. And He knows how you were designed, and in releasing yourself fully to that and embracing it, you'll find life to be all that it should: rich, hard, and rewarding.