Passion

Please watch this short video if you have the time:

Three Letters from Teddy

For obvious reasons, this video is often shown to teachers during pre-planning sessions at the beginning of each school year. I watched it many times during the years I was a teacher, and it always inspired me to take inventory of my motives and actions and reminded me of the incredible impact I could have on a child’s life. It helped me focus and recall the reasons I became a teacher in the first place; it gave me a renewed sense of passion for the upcoming year. And it always made me cry – every single time I heard the story I was a blubbering mess by the time Teddy explained that the perfume and bracelet had belonged to his mother.

One year in particular, after viewing the clip, passing tissues, wiping tears, and blowing noses, a colleague turned to a dry-eyed administrator who was sitting behind us and said, “How are you not crying after that? It gets me every time.” With sly grin and expressionless eyes, she promptly responded, “Honey, when you’ve been doing this as long as I have that stuff doesn’t get to you anymore.”

All I could think was, Wow, why are you even here? Somewhere along the way, after years of teaching, testing, jumping through government hoops, and being over-worked with little compensation, she lost her passion. Students represented test scores and federal funding instead of souls and impressionable minds.

Time has a way of doing that – making us lose our passion, causing us to forget why we do what we do. We often get so caught up in the trap of busyness – the immediacy of small tasks in the here and now – that we forget the bigger picture, failing to realize our passion is gone. And why is this so dangerous? Because our passion is directly tied to our purpose, and when we misplace our purpose we are vulnerable to attack.

You are a woman of influence. People are watching. What do they see? Passionate purpose or tired indifference? I encourage you today to take time out. Remember who you are and Whose you are. He wants to use you where you are right now.

I will answer immeasurable grace with passionate faith. – Michael O’Brien

As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a village where a woman named Martha welcomed them into her home. Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught. But Martha was worrying over the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.” But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are so upset over all these details! There is really only one things worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it – and I won’t take it away from her.” – Luke 10:38-42 (NLT)