Being Passionate

During my teaching a few days ago, a student mentioned to me that someone had told her if she's not completely passionate about singing then she should give it up.  This person told her that in order for her to benefit from her singing lessons, she must be consumed with singing, adore singing, think about singing all the time, and basically be obsessed with singing!!!  Obviously, I disagreed.  Not simply because I didn't want the student to quit, but because I my opinion this person's reasoning for advising the student to give up singing was absurd!  I assured my student she didn't need to eat, breathe, and sleep singing to benefit from her lessons.  I asked her if she enjoyed singing, to which she answered, yes.  Simply enjoying singing is more than reason enough to continue with it.  If I thought one needed to be passionate about music to continue with it, I would have quit LONG ago!

I am NOT a passionate person! Except for maybe being passionate about NOT being passionate... LOL!  Actually, when my student was telling me this, it made me think, what am I passionate about?  When I think about being passionate about something, I think of being consumed by it, a burning desire, obsession.  The dictionary says being passionate is being "easily affected by intense emotion."  Yeah, that's not me at all! Seriously!  I'm not kidding.  I am not a person that is emotional or has dramatic shifts in mood.  It's funny, because even though I'm a music teacher and run my own music business, I am not really that passionate about music!  I enjoy some of it, but that's about as far as it goes.

One thing I do feel strongly about is my faith.  I really believe what I believe, and as time goes on I believe it even more.  If I was to be passionate about something it would probably be reading and studying.  I especially enjoy reading about theology.  Of course, the greatest theology book is the Bible, but I like reading what other people have to say too.  Although, whenever I read it's always the Bible that wins the theological arguments.  It kind of amazes me how many Christians try to argue theology on blogs and in books without using Scripture.  They use creeds and traditions and ~ (insert scholarly sounding voice) ~ the writings of the church fathers and even their own feelings, opinions, and ideas to back up their theology, but they don't use the Word.  That seems a little pointless.  If theology is the study of God, then it's best to start with God, and God has revealed Himself to us specifically in His Word.

Sometimes I wish I was more passionate.  People tend to think that those who don't show a lot of emotion are cold hearted and unfeeling.  That's not true.  I feel things, I just don't necessarily display it the same way a passionate person does.  Every person alive has emotions!  Some are just more intense than others.  There's nothing wrong with being passionate or being non-passionate.  In fact, if we were all the same, the world might be a little bit scary....