In this last year, on many occasions, I have found comfort and great wisdom in Steve’s writing. His passion to serve our mighty God is apparent with every article and through every word. His words are truthful, simple and packed full of nuggets and AHAs. It is my honour to introduce him to you, and grateful that Steve agreed to write for Giving Thanks Daily. What a marvellous way to set out in the new year – to begin with a beautiful word from a wonderful friend.
Committing to Live with Reverent Passion
By: Steve Wickham
At times of inner and external complaint, it pays to consider there are millions who would gladly swap with us. We’re inclined to forget this. Re-committing to live afresh with reverent passion is one way to live thankfully for today and all days.
And we need to be reminded every day.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Living at passion and reverently so,
Is a bit like an attempt at baking kneaded dough,
For growing the joy that emits rippled bliss,
Is just like a case of fear gone amiss.
As light engendered burns out the dark,
Life now finds us with a glint and a spark,
Rolls us down heaven’s grand lane,
Far enough away from hellish disdain.
Passion absorbed that powers us on,
Golden strides never seem gone for long,
Thankfulness churned and nothing felt rotten,
A humble good life never so forgotten.
Wise it is now to steady the gait,
A wondrous and stately closely matched mate,
Now it is with a reverent passion,
Teeth no longer experience past gnashing.
So we come now to a place that’s best,
A time that’s good for succeeding our test,
Willingness’s there and openness too,
Holds us sway for times held true.
Shining inner light bright as a beacon,
Complaints and fussing we’re no longer seeking,
Positive energy we shallowly wade,
Preciousness, precociousness we’ve now put paid.
Reverent passion now nothing else,
Brings us to joy if not nothing but stealth,
Focused, engorged, the life goads within,
We know now, it seems, how life’s to spin.
As we conclude this merry modest jaunt,
Passion and reverence—a holy little haunt,
Basic, intrepid, lost to the muse,
A battered reed we’ll no longer to bruise.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The idea is to live so passionately that positivity drowns out the negative; for the main part anyway. Notwithstanding low times that bear themselves over our lives, we have the opportunity to grace our days with a more consistent power to live the good life.
More Reverent Passion, Less Fear
The joy enraptured in pure thanks squeezes out fear; they simply cannot co-exist. The more light beckons upon our lives the less the darkness is able to take hold. Then we’re found with a quiet, assured confidence that’s weighed accurately to humility, which is based in the fear of the Lord—which is the only power beyond fear itself.
Even though there are days when our passion evaporates, fear never gets the upper hand for long. And as we look back over these horrendous days we’re thankful that the passion for good living returned so smartly.
With the Right Preparation...
We could complete that sentence with... we can achieve anything.
A reverent passion has compelled us to a place where we have two integrated virtues: preparation has delivered us an unexplained confidence in the surety of the good way, and we’re ready as we can be for testing; which is always coming. We have power for the day so we can live safely for truth. And our truth vanquishes fear.
With the right preparation, the mind’s able to sidestep more effectively the temptations to fear and sin that come into all our lives.
Management of this modus operandi is controlled from within. Some days people see us interact these ways and they want to know how. Every searcher wants spiritual composure.
The Reverently Passionate Thankful Person Cannot Harm or Be Harmed
“... a bruised reed he [or she] will not break.”
~Isaiah 42:3a (NRSV).
According to this prophesy of Isaiah—which can be seen as pointed at Jesus, the Christian viewpoint—there is a manner of living that neither harms nor is harmed.
Jesus might have been ‘harmed’ on the cross—and as a man almost certainly—but it can be seen by Jesus’ responses to taunts, beatings and universal shame, that he resisted with perfect effect any hurt bound for him.
Jesus was better than that hurt.
The wonderful confidence in this is, underpinning thankfulness—engendered by a commitment to live with reverent passion—can resist all temptations of complaint, submission to fear, and weakness. This cogent truth only needs to be experienced once and we’re under way.
We can then employ and re-employ this method any time we choose.
© 2010 S. J. Wickham.
To learn more about Steve, visit the links below.
My passion is encouraging people to become the best they want to be. I'm a Registered Safety Practitioner (BSc, FSIA, RSP [Australia]) and a qualified, unordained Christian minister (GradDipBib&Min).
"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." ~Galatians 6:9 (NIV)
"Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret - it only leads to evil." ~Psalm 37:8 (NIV)
"Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret - it only leads to evil." ~Psalm 37:8 (NIV)
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