Note: This is the second article in a series entitled “The Five Investments.” Previous articles are always available at http://www.webbweekly.com.
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.” Mark 12:30-31.
The list of the five investments begins with the heart. That’s not by chance. The heart represents all that is foundational to our sense of being, understanding, and expression. If we can’t love God with all of our hearts, then everything else we do will fall short. It all begins with the heart.
The heart is the source of passion and emotion. Passion is what drives us. It is mysterious. We really don’t know what causes passion or why people experience more or less of it. The reason we say “beauty is in the eye of the beholder” is because we’re all driven by different passions.
I am a passionate outdoorsman. On bitter cold and windy days, I wish I wasn’t. I would really like to be that guy who can sleep in or just stay home because the weather is awful. My passion doesn’t give me that option. I am driven to pursue fish and game, and it’s always been that way with me.
What does your passion drive you to do? Did you get up at 3 AM on Black Friday to get a sweet deal on a big-screen TV? How about that classic car or Harley parked in your garage that never gets driven in the rain? Maybe it’s a computer game or a scratch golf handicap, or having your entire family together for the holidays? What are your passions?
Passion can be highly productive—and terribly destructive—and both at the same time. A workaholic may be highly productive at work while destroying their family. I’ve known plenty of guys over the years who destroyed their marriages while passionately pursuing their hobbies. Our passions have far more influence over us than we realize. Jeremiah, the prophet, declared, “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? Jeremiah 17:9
Emotion is also mysterious but generally involves a fascinating mix of the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) and our natural temperaments.
ANS—God designed our bodies with systems that operate automatically – breathing, heartbeat, digestion, etc. When under stress or threat, the ANS reacts by preparing us for the fight-or-flight response. When peaceful, the ANS triggers the body’s need to rest and digest. The ANS can make us feel a certain way, having a direct impact on our emotions. If you’ve never researched the ANS, I strongly urge you to do so. You can learn a lot about yourself and why you feel the way you do.
Temperaments—God also designed us with immutable (unchanging or unalterable) personality traits that organize how we interpret and react to the world around us. Some people are shy; others are outgoing. Some are happy-go-lucky, and others are gloomy. Some are driven by facts and statistics, others by their gut instincts. Some prefer a structured plan and schedule, others desire spontaneity. Some are stoic; others are expressive. Some are huggers, others are, well, not.
The heart’s capacity for passion and emotion reveals God’s genius in design. The spectrum of personalities and passions produces a human mosaic of beauty and a grand buffet of flavors and spice. We’re all so different – and we need each other. I’ve often joked that if the advancement of technology relied on me, we’d still be living in caves and cooking over wood fires. I’m grateful for people who have a passion for science and technology, but I lean more toward the expressive and artistic side of the spectrum.
Here’s the challenge: Since our hearts are deceitful and beyond cure, and our ANS functions automatically, and our personalities are basically unchangeable, and our passions are mysterious, then how can God ask us to “love” Him with all of our heart? Isn’t doing so beyond our ability?
There is an answer to that question, but I’d like for you to ponder it ‘till next week. As you ponder, I encourage you to take a personality/temperament assessment. They are easy to find online. I also encourage you to make a list of your passions. Have you ever really thought about what drives you to do what you do? Knowing who you are and what makes you tick will help you to express your love to God more effectively.
Yes, knowledge and insight have much to do with how much love we have to give. Paul the Apostle offered this prayer, “And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.” Philippians 1:9-11
Love abounding more and more in knowledge and depth of insight. Start with learning more about yourself – you’ll be glad you did.
