“It is a safe thing to trust Him to fulfill the desires which He creates” — Amy Carmichael

Do you remember the last time you felt butterflies in your stomach?

With all this talk about romance, love, and passion this month, one word stands behind it all:  desire.

Desire as a mysterious hunger is often depicted between two people who want to be with each other.  That is only part of the equation.

By the time desire shows up, it’s already a petal on a bloom.

Desire is the seed, that is planted and grows — before things get physical.

Desire is a heart longing.

The seeds of desire are found inside each of us.  If we are to experience passion in life with others, we have to begin with ourselves.

By the time I hit my early-thirties, I found myself still single.  I started to wonder if I had the gift of singleness.  I’ve always been a social butterfly and love being with people.  So, it wasn’t like I was shutting myself indoors.  I simply couldn’t find a love connection.

I didn’t have the winning formula for finding “the right one”, but I knew I wanted to stay passionate about life.  In my quest for passion apart from romance, I learned how to develop a relationship with desire and keep it alive.

I still tap into those valuable lessons of keeping desire alive.  Today, I’d like to share them with you, in hopes of getting you to share some of yours.

We often think that desire is an on or off switch.  It’s more like the volume control on our iPods.

The more we learn how to dial up those knobs, apart from physical romance, the more easily we can light that flame when, and if, the time comes.  Married life with kids, sickness, and daily stresses don’t have to handicap our love lives — just like not having a romantic partner didn’t spell doom for me as a single.

I was still full of passion for life, God, self and people.

My Top 10 Questions To Keep Desire Alive — Whether Single or Married.

1.  Do I say “I want” more than “I should”?

2. Do I take time to smell the roses or find myself more indoors with the windows shut?

3. Is my approach to enjoyment “a little bit of this or that is great” or “all-or-nothing”?

4. Do I pay attention to the Positives or the Negatives?

5.  When’s the last time I took time to read a book, listen to live music, or visited a museum?

6.  When’s the last time I tried something new?

7.  How can I take a small step outside my comfort zone?

8.  Who can I call to just hang out for coffee?

9.  When’s the last time I laughed?

10.  Am I taking steps to try something I’ve always wanted to do?

Okay, how did you do with my Top 10 Questions?  I continually go through this list, whenever I feel myself getting stale in my heart longings.

Sometimes, it might be tempting to just forget about desire and just let it die.  The problem with that is, life gets muted, and it’s not what God had in mind for us.

After all, God didn’t create us for the sole purpose of marriage.  He created us for the purpose of love.

“Hope deferred makes the heart sick, But desire fulfilled is a tree of life.”  Proverbs 13:12

Okay, Faith Barista Peeps —

Which of the Top 10 Questions do you identify with today?

What are your tips? Share how you dial up desire and keep it alive!

And remember, one litmus test is that it would apply to whether we are single or married!