Passion Gone Wrong

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My grandson Micah Nathan is obsessed with wheels. I remember our 4 boys feeling the same way, flattening themselves to the floor to get a road’s eye view of tiny toy wheels. Maybe it’s in boy-DNA.

Micah has strong opinions about each miniature vehicle at my house, even at only 22 months. His favorite is a tiny bike-like motorcycle, followed by a plastic dump truck. He assigns different cars to different people. “This is Mommy’s car. This is Daddy’s.”

But yesterday we saw that even a toddler can take things too far. Linni and I were chatting when Micah approached with a tiny wheel in his pudgy hand, which must have come off one of the small cars. With his limited language he tried to share his thoughts, but before we could figure them out, he popped the wheel into his mouth, gave a few chews, and swallowed it.

Wheels are Micah’s passion.

All of us are passionate about something and are usually willing to sacrifice something else to pursue it. For example, I’d rather write than sleep or eat. Someone else might be passionate about music or cooking or reading or any other worthwhile pursuit. It’s all based on what bents and abilities we have and on the way God wires us.

But in thinking about our passions, we might ask ourselves several questions:

  • How far am I willing to go for the sake of my passion?
  • Is every passion worth pursuing?
  • What if my passion isn’t positive?

Scripture makes reference to passions gone wrong, describing them as the “passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature.” God wasn’t the one who wired those into us; we have to take the blame ourselves.

So what are the passions of a sinful nature? Name any sin, and that’s what it is. Whatever sins we can’t route out of our lives are passions gone wrong. God instructs us to “nail them to his cross.” In other words, we’re to exercise control through Christ’s power as our Savior. He offers that, but it’s up to us to take advantage.

We might say, “But there’s nothing wrong with my passion for [fill-in-the-blank].” God says unless all of our passions are pulled out from under our control and put under his, they’re on the wrong side of the passion-ledger. Since he knows we’re all pretty good at taking things to extremes, even good things, he promises to help us with passion-control by providing his grace and strength as needed to get the job done. When we ask, he gives it.

Meanwhile, Linnea and I are having trouble finding Micah’s favorite motorcycle. Maybe we should start watching his diapers.

”Because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.” (2 Peter 1:4)

DO NOT ENTER

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All of us have turned down a one way street the wrong way and abruptly become aware of it when oncoming cars appeared, heading straight for us. Though none of us intend to go the wrong way, disaster can result from just a few seconds of ignoring the signs.

Yesterday, while maneuvering out of the airport parking garage and chatting with Linnea, I made a serious wrong-way mistake. As is true of many parking garages, a corkscrew ramp connected the different floors, and we entered one of them without paying attention.

As we went round and round I said, “I’m not sure why we’re going up,” but in an instant I found out: we were upping the down ramp.

When another car came flying around the blind curve unaware we were rising to meet him, we nearly made impact. “Mom!” Linnea shouted, as we both swerved and stopped short.

The other driver was gracious, rolling down his window and saying, “I have no idea how you got here, but you’re going the wrong way.”

Meanwhile, other drivers were careening down the ramp toward us, and our crisis continued. “Mom! Turn around!” Linnea said, fear in her voice.

As we inched back and forth in an effort to quickly right our wrong, I repeatedly sounded the horn to warn oncoming traffic, and 4 cars screeched to a halt to let us finish our 180. Finally arriving at the base of the corkscrew, the place we wrongly entered, I said, “The sign above will say ‘exit,’ I just know it.”

Linnea looked back as we came off the ramp: “It says DO NOT ENTER!”

I’ve often wished God would plant directional signs along life’s path so I’d know exactly what to do and which way to go. But yesterday proved that even if he did, and even if he used large block letters on a yellow background, I might still miss his warnings.

Actually God has been holding up signs in front of me for 6 decades. His collection of them is called the Bible, and he’s got a directional for every situation, many of them cautions I ought to heed. Although DO NOT ENTER isn’t one of his top 10, he does have quite a few DO-NOT’s. And just like on the corkscrew ramp, ignoring them is always dangerous. That’s the reason for his DO NOT’s in the first place. What he means is, “DO NOT get yourself in a mess you’ll regret later by ignoring my warnings,” a good reason to stay focused on his signs.

I think I understand the layout of the airport parking garage now, but just to be sure, I think next time I’ll let someone else drive.

“We must pay the most careful attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.” (Hebrews 2:1)

People-Watching

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I’m not sure if only women do it, but many share my penchant for people-watching. It’s especially fun in public spaces like museums, theme parks and beaches. The variety is endless, no two alike, and guessing about their biographies captivates me. I have all I can do not to stop them to ask questions, wanting to confirm or debunk my assumptions.

An airport is another prime spot to watch, packed with colorful people both rushing and waiting. Nate and I did a fair amount of flying, and on one trip we sat behind a couple who bickered all the way from Chicago to Mexico. As we all left the plane, the woman strode off indignantly, putting quick distance between her and her husband. When he saw that, he shouted after her. “Oh right, now you go and commit the crime of walking ahead! You know how I hate that!”

Ever after, if Nate or I saw a couple walking one ahead of the other, we’d lock eyes and say, “The crime of walking ahead,” and then share a laugh.

Today I had the delightful task of collecting daughter Linnea, 3 year old Skylar, and 1 year old Micah at Chicago’s Midway Airport after their flight from Orlando. Arriving early to be sure I could help her maneuver children, a double stroller, a heavy car seat, carry-ons and multiple suitcases, I had ample opportunity to do some quality people-watching.

I kept an eye on waiting “greeters” who were scanning the crowd for their specific loved ones. As they connected, it was hugs, kisses, and exclamations of joy. Another favorite was watching military personnel dressed in full uniforms, each probably brimming with fascinating and possibly traumatic stories to tell their families. Then there were those in wheelchairs making a herculean effort to connect with others.

As I watched hundreds come and go, I thought of the ultimate in people-watchers: God.

He’s not only good at watching, he’s good at seeing. He can study the face of each person on the earth, all at once. He sees eye color, dimples, even freckles. But better than that, he doesn’t have to ask questions to get information, since he owns 100% of the details already. Superior even to that, though, is his ability to look inside: head, heart, body. And he watches all of this day and night, never taking his eyes off of us.

While I was waiting for Linnea and pondering all that, God reminded me of the most important facet of his people-watching. It has little to do with visuals and everything to do with how he feels about each passerby, loving them personally, eternally, unfailingly.

And this love is far superior to even the happiest reunion of airport passengers connecting with the ones they love. I hope they all know that.

“You, Lord, are forgiving and good, abounding in love to all who call to you.” (Psalm 86:5)