Enthusiasm

Enthusiasm means “one with the energy of God.” . . . There is something awesome about people who practice this spiritual quality. They are vibrantly alive. (p. 138)

(from Spiritual Literacy: Reading the Sacred in Everyday Life by Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat)

Enthusiasm is under “E” in the “Alphabet of Spiritual Literacy” in this book. It is flanked by Devotion and Faith/Forgiveness. The book was published in 1996, but, in my opinion, runs no risk of becoming outdated.

Our brother-in-law recommended it to my husband Darcy a couple of years ago when we were visiting in Alaska. We got a copy. Recently, we took it out of the drawer it had gotten put in after some initial review. Now, a few times a week, Darcy picks a letter, we land on our word, and I read a few paragraphs for us to absorb and to offer inspiration for the day ahead.

This reading on enthusiasm really jumped out at me the other day. I had never considered enthusiasm to be a spiritual quality. “Good energy” is a phrase I use when I talk and write about gratefulness though. Living gratefully generates good energy, and so much more. And the source of so much of what I am grateful for stems from a power beyond me, which is my preferred description of God or Higher Power or Great Spirit.

Good energy. Vibrantly alive. I don’t feel this way all the time, but when I tap into grace and gratitude, stay out of my own way, and have humble presence, I certainly feel both energized and alive. Good energy builds more good energy. Enthusiasm creates more enthusiasm. It can be a quiet and gentle enthusiasm, or more raucous and outward. The vibrancy can be humming in my heart and soul or come out in an inspired spoken word performance. It can be a burst of joy no one else sees or an engaging lesson given to middle school students.

Nature is one with this higher energy. When I pause and pay attention, I see evidence of it everywhere.

Take this mum, enthusiastically beginning to bloom in early October.

Nature knows what to do, and it has patience. I learn so much from Nature.

When I seek the good, it doesn’t mean I ignore the challenges. It does mean that I have hope and energy for whatever may be ahead. When I seek a power beyond me, I find connections and belonging. Isolation lessens. It makes all the difference.

If we each tap into enthusiasm, even a little today, we will be builders of a better world, one small corner at a time. Onward!