(A reflection on "Inspiration" from February 2011)
Another month and I’m looking for inspiration for a newsletter article again. What will you find interesting or helpful? What do you want to know more about? What connects to the Church Year or to things we are experiencing in our life and ministry as a parish? Sometimes I have writers’ block, other times I have many ideas and have to pick one, but when looking for the idea I ultimately write about, the word that comes to mind is… inspiration. When I think of the word inspiration, particularly for writing an article, I tend to think of it the way we probably hear it used most: in terms of something that motivates us, sparks our imaginations & creativity, something that spurs us on or draws something out of us. That’s what I’m looking for… that spark of an idea that captures my imagination and enthusiasm and just seems to fit… kind of an “ah ha” moment.
There are other definitions for “inspire.” One definition is what I pray for when preparing sermons. It is to be moved, influenced, or guided by the divine. I ask God to help me figure out which reading to preach on and what direction to go with it. I figure it’s a good place to start. Another more specific but more archaic definition of “inspire” has to do with breath. It is the act of breathing. Actually, it is only the inhale portion of the act of breathing. It means to breathe or blow into, or to infuse (breath or life) by breathing.
What do all these definitions of inspire mean for us? I think just like I find myself looking for inspiration when I write, we also need to look for encouragement and inspiration in our faith lives and the ministries we engage as we live out our faith. Like any journey faith journeys can have ups, downs, and plateaus so it’s good to know where to turn for a little inspiration.
Something I found inspiring for my own faith life and ministry recently was a story from the Episcopal News Service about the ministry of two teenagers in Salt Lake City, Utah: Ashton Palmer and Andrew Hagedorn, High School Seniors. In 9th grade their youth group wanted to focus on “real life” discussions so they brought in newspaper articles.
One article reported a homeless man froze to death in his car. They said they should probably do something about it. They began volunteering at a shelter and before long decided to raise $200,000 for the area’s homeless. Four years later, not only have they raised awareness about homelessness, they’ve raised $300,000 in cash and "in-kind" donations, such as 2 homes used for teens leaving the foster-care system, comes to about one million dollars. Let me repeat… in 4 years two teenagers have been leaders who encouraged and inspired others to help them raise over $1 million for the homeless. Wow!
What inspired me was more than their age, the amount raised, and seeing God at work through these two and their community. It was seeing how they were inspired to become involved, and how their concern and enthusiasm inspired others to become involved too.
While pondering inspiration, synonyms I ran across for inspire are: exhilarate, invigorate, galvanize, influence, motivate, reassure, hearten and embolden. So consider this: what things exhilarate, invigorate, galvanize, influence, motivate, reassure, hearten and embolden your faith life or your ministry(ies)? Is it a favorite writer or book? A particular verse of scripture or book of the Bible? A favorite prayer, way of praying, a hymn, a poem, a quote? A mentor, friend, family member? A special location or activity? Hearing about other people’s ministries and faith lives? Or is it something I haven’t mentioned?
What inspires us to keep growing in our faith, to keep listening for God’s call and doing our best to follow will be different for each person and different things may inspire us more at different times in our lives. I think the key is to keep in mind the different definitions of “inspire” and to keep asking ourselves: What motivates us, spurs us on, draws something out of us? Are we turning to God and asking for divine guidance? And what is it that infuses new life in us like a breath of wind?
Praying we may all be continually inspired,
Lori+
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