Snow Over SalzburgWe have come to the close of another year. Many of us will feel compelled to do some reflection on our lives. My reflection as I come to a close of 2008 has been on what really inspires me. Inspiration is so precious. It is like the precious squeeze of the finest, purest drops from the depths of the soul. Inspirations are often brief, sporadic and rare.
By inspiration I mean those moments where our souls are stimulated to a high level of feeling, thinking and doing. I love those brief, sporadic and rare moments. I am addicted to the vitality I have, and the clarity of thought that occurs when I am inspired. I have tried for years to pay attention to these moments, to dig into them, excavate them, and figure them out.
What is it that inspires me?
Who is it?
What stirs my affection…for my wife? For my children? For my ministry? For life in general?
This to me is one of the major ideas that demand an answer. To solve this arduous riddle means more energy, richer life, deeper relationships and greater self-awareness.
Some time ago, especially when I got into the habit of blogging (and this is my 210 post!) I started applying this line of thought on what really inspires me in my relationship with Christ. What stirs my passion for Christ. What, when I’m doing it, when I’m around it or dwelling on it creates in me a greater hunger for, passion for and worship of Christ and His calling?
When I reflectively wrote them down, the list looked something like this:
1. Early mornings and hot 'Bru' coffee - my mind is at its best in the mornings
2. The writings of preachers of a bygone generation - like Spurgeon and Maclaren
3. Listening to great preachers - like Piper and Edmund Chan and so many more
4. Slow morning walks accompanied by unhurried prayer
5. The book of Psalms
6. Talking about marriage and parenting
7. Fun times with my family where we laugh crazy
8. Robust dialogue on values and wins with my staff
I also wrestled with and paid attention to what robbed me of passion for Christ. What, when I was doing it or spending time around it created in me an unhealthy love for this world? The first list was a strange one because the majority of things that robbed me of zeal for Christ and His mission were morally neutral things. It looked something like this:
1. Watching too much TV and spending too much time online
2. Staying up late for no reason
3. Being physically lazy
4. Empty conversations (talking for hours about nothing)
5. Idleness, especially on Mondays
I want to pay more attention to life in 2009. It is one raeson why I am beginning 2009 with a series on Living A No-Regrets Life.
I want to be keyed in to what feeds my zeal for our great God and King and what kills that zeal. My hope is that I could flood my life with Christ-exalting, worship-creating things and avoid anything that would rob me of that.
What inspires you?
Better yet, what stirs your passion for Christ, truth and holiness? If we can fill our lives with the things that stir our affections and avoid and flee those things that rob us of inspiration, we have a better shot at dwelling deeply with God in our souls. What and who inspires you? Stirs you? What presses you into holy places? What robs you of joy and vitality? What robs you of your passion for Christ and holiness?
Maybe these questions are worth reflecting as you transit into 2009.
