Enthusiastic about…

   When Al and I visited a Greek restaurant not far from our house, we discovered that it was nearly empty except for two women sitting at a booth. An ominous sign?  After we ordered our dinner, one of them got up and went back to the kitchen to begin preparing our food! She was the owner/cook, Donna. Her friend stopped to talk with us on her way out the door.

   She and her family had been coming there for years and were crazy about Donna’s cooking. The busiest time turned out to be in the mornings for breakfast, with wonderful made-to-order omelets, crepes and pancakes. But apparently Donna’s homemade pies, all sold out by the time we got there, were delicious too. We left, full, satisfied with the good Greek cooking and determined to get there before the crowd some Saturday morning. The woman’s enthusiasm along with the good food made all of the difference for us.

   A second encounter with a very enthusiastic person happened the next day at the grocery store.  The man standing in line behind me at the checkout counter balanced a beautiful baby girl on one hip. “You won’t have to go to the gym after holding her!” I commented to her father, who was using one arm to put the contents of his basket behind mine on the moving belt.

   “Yes, she is quite a workout!” he agreed. When I asked about her name, he went into detail. It was a good thing that there were still a few minutes before it was my turn to be checked out!  He and his wife decided on Marion after the Virgin Mary because she was born on the first day of Advent and also because his name was Mario. Louise, her middle name, came from her mother’s side of the family. He also told me that she was a blessing to them. Then, Mario went on to say that he and his wife said prayers with her every morning.

    “She’s off to a good start!” I responded as the clerk rang up my purchases. Then it was time to go. “Thanks for sharing!” It was nice meeting Mario and his precious daughter. I could just picture our loving Father in Heaven talking about each one of His special children in the same enthusiastic way!

   The third burst of enthusiasm came from our associate pastor on Sunday morning. Dan began his message talking about how cheering at high school football games wasn’t his thing. Most of the time, he would give a kind of half-hearted, “Let’s go!” One of his friends even commented on his wimpy cheers!

   He went on to describe Simon Peter’s reaction when Jesus, who had been using his boat  to teach crowds of people standing on the shore, told him to go into deeper water and let down the nets. After fishing all night unsuccessfully, Peter and his partners were not enthusiastic about this idea! However, they went ahead and did it anyway, with astounding results! It was a life-changing experience. (See Luke 5:1-11)

   Pastor Dan ended his message by asking the congregation if they would be willing to follow Christ wherever He might lead. Then he gave a powerful shout…“Let’s go!” Everyone responded by whistling, cheering and clapping. His enthusiasm was contagious!

   “Enthusiasm” comes from the Greek, “en Theos” or “in God.”  Part of the definition taken from Webster’s’ New World Dictionary is “intense or eager interest; zeal; fervor,” all demonstrated by the lady at the restaurant, Mario and the pastor. The dictionary also says that it evokes these same responses in others. How true!

   Are we enthusiastic about our relationship with the Lord and about the good news of Jesus?  Father, please fill us with enthusiasm and joy that overflows to others! In Jesus’ name, Amen.

“Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth. Sing to the Lord, praise his name; proclaim his salvation day after day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples.” Psalm 96:1-3 NIV