These days, the word passion is in common usage, often having a positive connotation. It’s believed that the more “passionate” one is about something, such as a goal or career path, the more likely one is to experience success. Many consider the question “What is your passion?” to be critical to choosing the most fulfilling path forward. 

But originally, passion referred to suffering, and today there are still negative undertones that are sometimes associated with it, such as anger, obsession, disturbance, disorder, and agitation, to name a few. In today’s society, in which passion is believed to be a quality or mind-set that is essential to our ability to succeed or advance, what can we do to make sure that the diligence, devotion, and determination we express aren’t counteracted by the opposite qualities of willfulness and extremity? Is human energy, emotion, willpower, blind enthusiasm, or obsession able to provide us with legitimate and long-standing success and fulfillment? Does passion forward a worthy purpose?

We can turn to the Bible to find timeless examples of those who achieved remarkable outcomes, not through willpower or unrestrained zeal, but through steadfast allegiance to God and reliance on spiritual methods—most notably, the life of Christ Jesus. Following the divinely bestowed confirmation of his sonship with God, Jesus was led into the wilderness, or a supposititious state of mental and material ambiguity, “to be tempted of the devil” (see Matthew 3:17, 4:1–11). In this narrative, the devil, representing the belief of a power opposed to God, tempts Jesus three times to yield up a commitment to his divine sonship and purpose, and instead, fall down and worship the enticing, yet vacuous and unfulfilling, promises of materialism. 

But Jesus could not be tempted. He trusted in the allness of God and his understanding of the absolute nothingness of the lies being proffered by the tempter. He demonstrated that human willpower and blind enthusiasm could offer him nothing toward the fulfillment of his God-ordained mission. He understood his divinely bestowed immunity from the mesmerism of external threats or inducements that would take him off course. Jesus’ pointed rebukes silenced the devil, and the devil left him. Shortly afterward, Jesus began his remarkable and God-appointed ministry of preaching salvation to mankind, teaching and healing wherever he went.

Is human energy, emotion, or willpower able to provide us with legitimate and long-standing success?

Many of us today may find ourselves having to face down the temptation to believe that relying on God, Spirit, alone and being spiritually minded can derail our progress and deprive us of the opportunity to advance in all aspects of our lives. But the opposite is actually true. And as Jesus’ example teaches us, the temptation to rely on or trust in something other than God, good, can be put down and proved powerless. Regardless of where we are in our life experience, we can always turn to God, and the intelligence of divine Mind, to humbly hear and accept His inspiring guidance or corrective calling. In the Christian Science textbook, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy, we find this encouraging counsel: “The purpose and motive to live aright can be gained now. This point won, you have started as you should. You have begun at the numeration-table of Christian Science, and nothing but wrong intention can hinder your advancement. Working and praying with true motives, your Father will open the way” (p. 326).

One of the most powerful illustrations of purification of a life’s purpose is the biblical account of the conversion of Saul of Tarsus (see Acts, chap. 9). Saul was a high-ranking Pharisee who zealously persecuted the early Christians. But as the Bible shows, he was transformed and made new through the redeeming power of Christ, Truth. His unbridled passion yielded to the gentleness of the Christ, and his name was changed to Paul.

Through humility—evidenced first in his willingness to ask, “Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?”—Paul was able to meekly respond and radically venture forward in fulfilling his true purpose of preaching Christianity throughout Asia Minor and parts of Europe—unhindered by personal will. This is clear evidence of the power of God to bring about a comprehensive correction of wrong or misguided efforts, as well as man’s ability to humbly yield to a divine purpose and be freed from the guilt of past mistakes. From the unassuming depths of repentance and redemption, Paul is later able to write: “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you” (Philippians 3:13–15).

No one, at any moment, is ever separated from God’s healing power, which inspires love, grace, and gentleness. God is able to reveal to us whatever needs to be corrected in our thoughts and actions in order for us to better serve and express Him in our daily lives. The influx of divine inspiration—the correcting influence that brought about Paul’s transformation from self-promoting passion to the compliant and obedient willingness to serve God’s purpose—is available to each of us now. No mental influence can hold back God’s mandate of reform and redemption. Science and Health reminds us: “If you believe in and practise wrong knowingly, you can at once change your course and do right” (p. 253). Accordingly, we, like Paul, can prove that a human history of erroneous, willful actions can be put behind us, replaced by a commitment to live our spiritual identity and purpose and to trust that God governs our life. We need devout obedience to God in order to progress, succeed, and flourish.

We can set aside as valueless and of no consequence the passions of mortal will and headstrong zeal—“those things which are behind”—and embrace wholeheartedly “the high calling of God.” Commitment to this calling includes devoting ourselves to the purpose of expressing the spiritual qualities of God in every aspect of our lives. Fearlessly, we can affirm day by day, moment by moment, that our unique purpose is to express God, and “that he which hath begun a good work in [us] will perform it” (Philippians 1:6). Mrs. Eddy assures us in her Miscellaneous Writings 1883–1896: “God is responsible for the mission of those whom He has anointed.” And she continues: “Those who know no will but His take His hand, and from the night He leads to light” (p. 347).