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Driven By Our Passions

If we resist our passions, it is more through their weakness than our strength.

This week I found the quote above. It spoke deeply to me, yet I could not fully articulate its meaning. As I did my cardio, I felt I was having one of those “ah” moments. The words made sense. What were our “passions”, I asked myself? In the context of this quote, the word “passions” had negative connotations, perhaps, referring to our temptuous desires. These desires could be anywhere from sexual to excessive ambition. If nurtured, they can enslave us, leading us away from God.

The quote, however, makes a startling revelation, because how often do we think of these passions being weaker? For example, are our sexual urges greater than courage? Is it greater than love? I, particularly, like bodybuilding, because I like the feeling of being strong. When I consider this quote in this mindset, our passions, indeed, are weaker. For this reason, we resist them because they are truly powerless. What we presume as real strength is only an illusion–the weakness of our false self. We choose not to succumb to them because they are sub par to love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance. These virtues co-exist with each other; they cannot co-exist with motives derived from our selfish nature.