When I was a late teenager I dated a Christian lady who lived 1 hour away viz., a drive in my fathers car - one direction. I would travel that each weekend and talk all week accordingly while dating her. We also went to the same Church so that was an added bonus in terms of meetings, and was amicable toward an even stronger Christian godly connection. Now this was the peak of my sexual drive years (as males go) so to be pure was a miracle - and yet God in my relationship with her empowered us with just such a miracle. The letters we wrote one another built a bond even beyond the heart of being there with one another so that when we were together we flourished in appreciation and thankfulness to God and each other. The kisses were passionate beyond words, even poetic in nature, while our halting remained amicable to our spirits calling as well.
This went on until our lives simply got separated due to circumstances, and in due process - others came into our lives and we went on to develop other relationships. She went off to college in another State here in the USA, and I too went on with my life where I was located. I went on to have many more beautiful women in my life after ... and to be honest all of them were more beautiful physically, yet it was that girl that I see as the real beauty. You see I say that because she was strong in the Lord, and she helped me be strong as well. We never dishonored God in our behavior, not always what I could claim later in my life , but in that window of time, I secured a place of remembrance I will never lose in terms of golden memories and eternal investments.
To me romance or love or passion is about devotion. My devotion to her in way of my devotion to God first was without blemish, and I and she built upon that rock a pyramid-like goodness that has travelled all the days of my life.
It is not about whether we were meant for each other and I missed it, for I knew even then, I loved her but God had other plans for her and in my love for her I let her go. And she - the same - in way of knowing God had plans for me that stemmed from another game plan He was preparing. But the point is I have never been more passionate with anyone including a 29 year marriage, than I was with a woman I never even had intimate relations with physically (outside of kissing) because I had placed the foundation in something that was never temporal; that being Jesus Christ Himself.
He is not only our godliness He is every detail in our life practically - our sexual fervency, then, as well. Thus, as we marry He is the statement and experience there as well. Leave Him even for a second for the pleasure of passionate physicality, even in a marriage I might add, and it is empty and temporal within our soul even when it gives us a seasonal pleasure.
Passion is built on devotion to God first and then each other second...and as we pay the price for devotion to those persons in that order we must realize we are not sacrificing anything despite its painfulness as a young teen boy in my storyline and an unmarried limited position sexually - we are building a lasting meaningful blessing God will grant us pure and everlastingly beneficial that we will cherish for allowing Him to build rightly so..from rock to pyramid and beyond.
I was passionate beyond words with this young lady from the past, who in the future in heaven will still be my Sister forever inasmuch as we place God first..and believe and receive His life for us.