Passion
I spent a good deal of time this morning again praying for Egypt. I woke up with that nation on my heart and mind. You may know just a little over a year ago, my daughter and I, along with some other friends, were in that nation touring. Now, it's not a place I'd want to be anywhere near. Riots in the street. People assembling to protest. Lots of chaos. Lots of destruction. Lots of death. I often wonder about the people we met while we were there, particularly our guides who were so good to us. Are they safe? Are they alive? And what will be the end result of all of this violence and grief?
It's a whole different mindset than what we, here in the West, are used to. And yet, when we were in Egypt, you could sense the tension, the underlying dissatisfaction. High unemployment. Trash covering the streets. Lots of young men walking around with seemingly nothing to do, jumping in and out of vans as they drove up and down the street. Unfinished buildings that fill the skyline. People picnicking in the midst of garbage. That the whole experiment with democracy would explode so quickly isn't all that surprising if you've driven the streets of Cairo or Alexandria.
And while I absolutely think and believe they are going about it the wrong way, the turmoil there has caused me to ask what I would become so passionate about. What would I be willing to literally place my life on the line for? The notion of "tolerance" has, in many ways, dulled our passions in the West. What do we get excited about? A cause? Our faith? Or have we been reduced to simply caring only about our own wants?
It is said that, before Rome fell, all the people cared about were "bread and circuses." Food and their own entertainment. Passion had dulled. All people cared about were their own desires, their own wants. So I wonder...what would I be willing to give my life for? What am I passionate about—not in a violent way, but in a "completely sold out" sort of way?
So I'm praying for the people of Egypt. I'm praying for an end to the violence. I'm specifically praying for the Christians there, who have been and are so often targeted for violence in that Muslim nation. And I'm also praying that my own passion would be stirred up for what I believe, not to react violently, but so that I can stand strong for and live passionately in the faith that holds onto me.
It's a whole different mindset than what we, here in the West, are used to. And yet, when we were in Egypt, you could sense the tension, the underlying dissatisfaction. High unemployment. Trash covering the streets. Lots of young men walking around with seemingly nothing to do, jumping in and out of vans as they drove up and down the street. Unfinished buildings that fill the skyline. People picnicking in the midst of garbage. That the whole experiment with democracy would explode so quickly isn't all that surprising if you've driven the streets of Cairo or Alexandria.
And while I absolutely think and believe they are going about it the wrong way, the turmoil there has caused me to ask what I would become so passionate about. What would I be willing to literally place my life on the line for? The notion of "tolerance" has, in many ways, dulled our passions in the West. What do we get excited about? A cause? Our faith? Or have we been reduced to simply caring only about our own wants?
It is said that, before Rome fell, all the people cared about were "bread and circuses." Food and their own entertainment. Passion had dulled. All people cared about were their own desires, their own wants. So I wonder...what would I be willing to give my life for? What am I passionate about—not in a violent way, but in a "completely sold out" sort of way?
So I'm praying for the people of Egypt. I'm praying for an end to the violence. I'm specifically praying for the Christians there, who have been and are so often targeted for violence in that Muslim nation. And I'm also praying that my own passion would be stirred up for what I believe, not to react violently, but so that I can stand strong for and live passionately in the faith that holds onto me.
Wise words DT.
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