Passion

I met someone recently that had a passion for living.  It was extraordinarily refreshing!  There was no hesitation in his step.  There were no excuses about the way life was unfolding.  Everything was about making a difference, reaching for a better world, and engaging with those around him.  I have no idea when and where we will meet next, yet I find myself looking forward to it.  I have shaken hands with Hope.  I have spent time with someone passionate about life and living in it.  It feels good.  I want more of it, even as I know we will like share different views in the future.
The meeting gave me cause for reflection.  Over time, others see far more of the truth in my life than I care to share.  I want others to see an image found only in my imagination.  I hope that the fa?ade that I build in my life reflects my mythical designs and that it always remains an impenetrable fortress.  Yet, strong walls rarely let one touch another's life.  Truth is more often understood in presence of dialogue instead of monologues.  Passion and truth combine to form a unique type of power that shows itself in the form of Hope.  Hope touching the life of another gives birth what it means to be fully and completely alive! 
I find that passion, that intense, mysterious, unstoppable conviction from within that gives one the courage and strength to reach out into the unknown, is a key ingredient found in every great leader.  It does not always take the form of an extrovert.  Gandhi was often quietly passionate.  Yet, passion needs something more to be fully and completely alive.  It needs truth and the willingness of someone to act.
An old story told how one person with passion “went on in this vein for a long time, urging them over and over, 'Get out while you can; get out of this sick and stupid culture!'”  (Acts 2.40)  Truth, being willing to act, and passion are things I can hold onto and realize today.