Passion Project

If you’re not like me, you probably know someone who is – when a new interest or hobby comes along I tend to dive into it headfirst.

Countless hours reading, researching, learning, and practicing, conversations that seem to always drift towards the latest passion.

Does this sound familiar to you?

Most recently, I surrounded myself with new information and ideas about electronic music making. I’ve always played an instrument or two but had never really thought about how some of the world’s most popular songs are put together in the studio – let alone try it myself.

I’ve been playing with drum machines, beat-making and MIDI-keyboards while tinkering on our piano teaching myself about chords and other composing basics.

This new-found interest seems to have rubbed off on my own children.

They are now spending their own time experimenting with beat making and music production. (One of my sons’ most often requested things to do is play with a drum machine app on my phone).

What’s my point? When we really love something, it changes us and often changes the people around us.

In Luke 18, the Bible records people’s encounters with Jesus: A stuck-in-their ways church leader of the time, a tax-collector, a rich young man, and a blind beggar.

As these stories flow through the chapter we see a pattern – while every person encounters Jesus, they don’t all respond in the same way. Some leave his side unchanged, others full of passion and love that changes their own lives, and the lives of others around them.

Luke 18:43 says this about the blind beggar, “Immediately he received his sight and following Jesus, praising God. When all the people say it, they also praised God.’

Just a moment before this man had been blind, poor, and considered unworthy of people’s care or concern. Now, he could not only see – but was leading the very people who ignored him in praise to God.

The blind beggar’s experience with Jesus changed him. And his new and overflowing love for Jesus, changed the people around him.

That is the power God can have in your life too.

It is my prayer that we each continue to experience Jesus like the blind man - whether you’re only just coming to know Jesus or have loved him for a long time. We should seek to be changed by Him, to be fully surrounded by His love and in doing so, be a witness and encouragement to others to join in our passionate journey with Jesus.