Passion vs Striving

I never really saw how passion and striving could be confused or mistaken for each other... Until yesterday. Running with a good friend of mine, she was saying how she wasn't sure if it was her passion causing her to do something or was it out of striving. I get that.
My immediate thought was that passion comes from a love of something... When you are passionate you have the drive to do whatever it is no matter what -because you love it and will go great lengths to do it or get it done.

Striving at least an aspect of it is when you are looking for value or approval from others and God-
there are obviously healthy aspects of striving like when it's in an attempt to do your best. But in this case I'm referring to it in an unhealthy way. Striving to gain value and comparing yourself to others.


As I reflected on the two I realized that that was me my entire life. I never felt like I was good enough -pretty enough -or smart enough. I was plagued with a determination to find my self worth and value in something or someone. So striving for value was my reality. It's so easy to think your finding some self worth by comparing yourself with other people and highlighting their short comings in order to feel better about yourself. This happens subconsciously but it's because you have programmed your brain to look for ways to make you feel better about yourself. Crazy eh! We need to renew our mind consciously everyday or we will unconsciously go back to our old ways of thinking.
I see more clearly how the the 2 oppose each other... When it's unhealthy
Thankfully I am seeing 'the light' and know that now I can find my value in who God has called me to be and find myself in doing what He has called me to do.
It's His love-amazingly unconditional love that spurs us on to do greater things for Him!
We love and are passionate because HE loved and is passionate.

Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love. (1 Corinthians 13:13 MSG)
I love that verse in that translation. Passion misguided by unhealthy motives can turn into striving. Stay in the spirit and walk in love.