“Passion” — the word evokes various feelings and visual images. If we have ever seen a Passion play, or seen the movie “The Passion of the Christ;” if we have ever read a romance novel (Christian or otherwise) or watched much television; if we have ever encountered someone working intensely for a cause; we have encountered “passion.”
Does this vast and seemingly unrelated range of emotions and imagry seem strange to anyone but me? Thinking on the sufferings of Christ and using the same word for erotic emotion or political fervor just doesn’t settle well with me. So, I did a little research and this is what I found:
c.1175, “sufferings of Christ on the Cross,” from O.Fr. passion, from L.L. passionem (nom. passio) “suffering, enduring,” from stem of L. pati “to suffer, endure,” from PIE base *pei- “to hurt” (cf. Skt. pijati “reviles, scorns,” Gk. pema “suffering, misery, woe,” O.E. feond “enemy, devil,” Goth. faian “to blame”). Sense extended to sufferings of martyrs, and suffering generally, by 1225; meaning “strong emotion, desire” is attested from c.1374, from L.L. use of passio to render Gk. pathos. Replaced O.E. þolung (used in glosses to render L. passio), lit. “suffering,” from þolian (v.) “to endure.” Sense of “sexual love” first attested 1588; that of “strong liking, enthusiasm, predilection” is from 1638. The passion-flower so called from 1633. http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=passion
Now I know . . .
This Passion Week I am praying that God will soften my heart and fortify my will to blend some of these definitions together, just as the apostle Paul did when he was sitting in a cold, damp, dirty prison cell. . .
Philippians 3:8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— 10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. (ESV)
I wish you all a blessed Resurrection Sunday. He is risen indeed!
Plea for Grace 
Beverly,
I have been reading your web site for a while now and wanted to tell you how much inspiration I find in it. I can really see the Love of God coming through in you and quotes of the verses that obviously mean so much to you. As a young and imperfect ? unfinished ? mother, I cherish your wisdom and words of insight. It means so much to me, when I’m having a hard day with Joel or just being tired, to be able to read the reflections on someone I know has been their! I worry too much sometimes where we will have to move again, what is the baby so cranky about, where did this extra 20lbs come from! but I know that He will always be with us. You should write a book! Please keep writing, God bless you, and may God bless America.
Amy.
PS what is a book club?
Hi Amy!
Thanks for reading; thanks for taking the journey with me. I do really want to be a blessing.
Keep loving on that little Joel of yours; the best thing you can do for him is to give him a mother who is absolutely passionate about her walk with Jesus! There will be ups and downs, sad and joyful, heart-wrenching and blissful, but God is constant in His love and faithful in His pursuit of us.
The “book club” was my experiment in having a place to talk about and learn from each other by reading a book together. It began by some ladies in my church commenting that they would like to attend a bible study that I lead, but they work during the day and I currently am not leading an evening study. I offered to have a weekly discussion online. However, life just got in the way and the study never got off the ground. I may turn it into a book that I’m reading and I will share what God is teaching me through it. I’m open to suggestions. . .