Passion

Remember that line in You've Got Mail where Kathleen says that whatever else anything is...it ought to begin by being personal?

A few years ago I adapted that just a bit for my own life and declared that whatever else anything is in my life, it ought to begin by being passionate. I don't like to attack things halfway. If I'm going to invest in something, I'm going to invest in something.

Of course that's brought its own share of heartbreak now and then, but that's okay. I may hurt, but I don't look back and regret not giving it my all.

Yesterday, Lisa Harper was on Mid-Morning for a few minutes, and Lynne and I had the chance to talk to her about a young lady named Marie. Marie is a crack addict and is 6 1/2 months pregnant with a baby girl that Lisa hopes to adopt. If Marie can't stop using, the baby's life will be in greater danger than it is right now.

Lisa, if you don't know, is a Bible study teacher whose ministry resume is impressive. She's written a number of (fantastic) books and Bible studies, she's toured with Women of Faith, she's worked at Focus on the Family...but she's also felt God's call on her life to work with girls battling addiction. She gets right in there, rolls up her sleeves, and crawls around in the muck with them. And now she's wrestling this beast of addiction not just to become a mom...but because she genuinely desires to see Marie delivered from the grip of drugs.

Lisa was on our show to talk about "Marie Mondays," a campaign she created for prayer, fasting, and encouragement to try to save these two lives in particular. She put out pleas on Facebook, Twitter, our show, and any other avenue she has, because she's that passionate for these lives. That passionate about this ministry.

Made me think.

God hasn't called me (today, anyway) to run straight into a crack house, help girls get clean and adopt their addicted babies. But He has called me to other things. Am I putting as much passion into those things as I possibly can? Am I encouraging others every time I have an opportunity? Am I listening and retaining information so I can follow up later? Am I writing? Am I putting every ounce of my being into my job (which IS my main ministry)? Am I running with every bit of my soul into the Throne Room every day to soak up time with God?

Whatever it is He's asked me to do...it ought to begin (and end) with passion.