Are we living below the level of our beliefs? As Christians, we subscribe to numerous beliefs. These beliefs can be easily found in the Bible. We are called to be slow to anger. We are overcomers of carnal desires; living with a pure heart. We are to resist temptations as we submit wholeheartedly to God. And last but not least, we are reminded to keep our chins up in the midst of a trial and put our faith in Jesus who is the hope of our salvation. These are empowering beliefs that we repeat to ourselves and our loved ones but do we live by them on a daily basis? The difficulty to living up to them is understandable. Many of us are guilty of failing to live up to the standards set by the Bible. There is a saying that goes like this: “When you give advice, you build with one hand. When you give advice and set a good example, you build with both hands. When you give advice and set a bad example, you build with one hand and you tear down with the other.”
It is easy to keep our beliefs verbal. Mouthing out those beliefs takes nothing from us. The true sacrifice comes when we have to live it out. It takes more than just mere discipline to do that. Being consistent with our belief is not the hard part. What is lacking in our lives when it comes to living above the level of our beliefs is passion. I believe that without passion, everything we do becomes a chore, a routine, a rut. Performing a chore will sap our energy, drain our spirit and exhaust our body as time passes. Passion is like fresh water. Without it, your life is dried and parched. Passion is like colors. Without it, your life is flat and dull. Passion is like love. Without it, your marriage is lifeless. We cannot live without passion. At the very least, we cannot live above the level of our beliefs without it.
Passion is the bridge we so urgently need in our lives to take us to where we are destined to go. In the language of psychology, passion is our inner drive, our intrinsic motivation. In science, passion is the burning curiosity that propels us to explore and discover the world around us. In music, passion is our muse, our bewildering inspiration that strikes us when we least expect it. In the lingo of God, passion is encapsulated in this powerful scripture, “…you will seek me and find me when you search for me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:13) Passion is thus best expressed as “with all your heart”. It comes from inside of you. It is a quality that escapes definition. To the artists, it is almost a spiritual experience, a fire that burns inside of them. So, forget about looking for passion in self-improvement books. Forget about looking for it from the pulpit. Forget about looking for it in the movies, in a concert hall or on top of a mountain. No doubt some beautiful places and encouraging words at the right place and at the right time do inspire passion; but for long lasting, authentic effect, passion has to be self-generated, single-focused and self-sustaining.
I suggest a systematic way to develop passion by examining these simple statements: I get it; I love it; I’ll keep it up.
Do you get it? We have to ask ourselves this first question as a start to the others. A wise man once said that some of us live lives of quiet desperation. This desperation is a result of living below our level of beliefs. This desperation arises because we don’t get it. If we don’t get it, then we may as well leave it and live our lives below our level of beliefs. Getting it means more than just head knowledge. It is more than mere mental agreement to a principle. We can remain agreeable to everything but un-changed by them. A deeper understanding is needed. This requires us to do some deep soul searching. It requires us to take stock of our lives. We need to know where we are now in our lives and where we want to end up when we heave our last breath.
Then, we proceed to ask ourselves: Do I love it? Please do not do something you do not love for the rest of your life. It is painful, not to mention, wasteful. You are created to soar on wings of eagle and not peck and lick dirt. Of course, in this life, we live with a lot of constraints. Our freedom to live a life we want may not be readily accessible to us due to the many obligations we have. But if droplets of water can wear off a huge coral rock, then, may I say to you that every great journey starts with a small, insignificant step. This small step may seem inconsequential. But over time, you will complete your long arduous journey when you add them all up. So, doing what we love is achievable, if we do it one step at a time.
When we get it, and do what we love, we must not waste it all by failing half-way. This is what it means to keep it up. This is where consistency plays a part. Recently, my son, moping about how life is so un-fun, lamented to me with this phrase, “I hope everyday is my birthday.” Well, I hope it is for me too. But life is not wound up like that. It is of course easy to be happy, keeping up the moods and smiles, when everyday is your birthday. To be consistently happy is easy when everybody celebrates your birthday with gifts, well-wishing and a delicious chocolate cake everyday. But life is going to challenge you and discourage you. Circumstances will gang up to trip you and deflate you. Just as everyday is not your birthday; it is also not going to be easy. Your consistent spirit will be challenged. Your moods will fluctuate. Your temper flares up. Your spirit downed. So, it is vital to keep your consistency by keeping your focus. Be single-minded. Keep your eyes on your goals just as a footballer keeps his eyes on the ball.
When you are discouraged, feeling down and out, keep this scripture close to your heart, “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him, endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the iht hand of the throne of God.”
So when our eyes are on the cross, our steps are surely ordered by the Lord.
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