Enthusiasm

An employer was urging his workers to be enthusiastic. “Customers want to see you demonstrate enthusiasm as you assist them when they come into this business.” A good suggestion, don't you think?

The word has an interesting etymology. It comes from the Greek éntheos meaning God-possessed or in God. Now I'm certainly not implying that those who are not enthusiastic are not in God, but showing enthusiasm is a great way to demonstrate that we are indeed in Him! Scripture has many admonitions to be grateful, to be full of joy, to have hope and confidence. These are well-expressed by what we recognize as enthusiasm.

It is not easy to be enthusiastic about working with people that are difficult, at a distasteful job, or in troubling circumstances. But God hasn't required that for everything we are to give thanks, only in everything to give thanks. The Apostle Paul did not claim to like every situation in which he found himself, or to be fond of every person with whom he worked! He only said that he had learned to be content. The Psalmist wrote about “songs in the night” and “the valley of the shadow of death.” Obviously then, enthusiasm--”God-inness”--is not dependent on our always being comfortable and enjoying pleasant surroundings. Keeping a positive outlook is one way we can show that our hope and security is in God, and that our good cheer does not depend on the weather outside or the indoor “climate” of our interaction with others around us.

MaryMartha

Art from http://www.sxc.hu/

"To Sleep, Perchance to Dream"



Everybody's got to sleep!
And dream too, maybe?

I'm not a Joseph or a Daniel, and so I don't claim Divine origin for my dreams. However, sometimes when my thought "censor" is off-duty, I get a bit of insight while I'm asleep. (If that turns you off, close the page.) Here goes! 

An acquaintance of mine from fifty years ago, a woman I had not even thought of for perhaps forty years, left her eight- or nine-year old son with me while she went out for the evening. He was an absolute terror! He was totally out of control, and I am no stranger to unmanageable children. Finally in desperation, I called the mother. She had been partying, and much to my dismay, she was incoherent from too much alcohol. She was no help at all, because she couldn't even drive to come for the child.

 I will take him to the police station and just leave him there, I thought. They will deal with the situation appropriately. (Now I wouldn't even consider such a thing in my waking life, but in my dream it seemed like a plausible option.) Except . . . Well, that was like deserting him. Not good at all—but whatever shall I do with this wild child?

My mother who was sitting nearby while this was happening spoke up very timidly. "Well, I feel some responsibility for him . . . " she said hesitantly. And just then the phone rang.



"This is So-and-So," the caller said, giving me his name. "I am Dr. Isaac's son, and I am right now leaving the gathering where I've been." He was on his way! "Ah!" I thought. "The voice of reason."



And then I woke up.

 

That wasn't really Mary and her son that I knew long ago, I realized. And that was not my mother. It wasn't Dr. Isaac's son, and it wasn't really the person who was me in the dream. All of those responses are choices for the real-life ME! When faced with a truly impossible situation, I can choose any of those four options.

 

►I can ignore it and go my own way, regardless of my personal responsibility.

 

►I can shove the situation onto someone else and let them decide how to handle it, even if the outcome will not be beneficial.



►I can, without any guidance or gifts for doing so, involve myself in caretaking that I am unsuited to do.

►I can carefully turn the problem over to someone who is both capable and dispassionate—who has "the voice of reason."



I don't know what I decided to do in my dream. But I know what I will try to do in real life!



MaryMartha



Art from http://www.sxc.hu/