Ablaze with Enthusiasm

There was a quote that became important for the group that attended the FOCUS Youth Fall Confirmation Retreat this past weekend. I roughly remembered it Saturday morning before we had lunch and then we were to tour the Methodist Museum at Epworth by the Sea on Saint Simons Island. My paraphrase was pretty much butchering one of my favorite things that John Wesley said. Fortunately, this quote was mentioned during our visit to the museum, so we were able to enjoy it the way Wesley intended it to be. The John Wesley quote: “Catch on fire with enthusiasm and people will come for miles to watch you burn.”

I used this quote to talk to the students about their enthusiasm for GOD. It is easy to have a blazing enthusiasm for GOD while on an event like a retreat…we’re isolated from the world (truly so on this trip, because the students were not given access to their cell phones during the weekend – they survived, but just barely), spending a lot of time in the Bible and talking about GOD’s love for them. Fortunately, there is a bit of a carry-over that occurs for a day, maybe two, after returning home from such a retreat. But by now (Wednesday), real life has crept back in as the students have likely had to manage stress with, friends, family, school, and for some, work. It is times like now when it is important to remember Wesley’s quote and be encouraged to keep our enthusiasm ablaze in the face of life’s trials and tribulations – both the major and the benign.

OK, pastor, so how do you do that? Well, one thing is to stay connected to GOD and His family, the church. I have observed through my years of ministry that frequently when the going gets tough, we tend to flee our support systems. Some of this is because we need to retreat for a bit and lick our proverbial wounds. Another reason is we lack the desire to have to hear and answer numerous questions about what is going on and how we are doing when in the midst of a struggle. This is somewhat natural to human behavior because we seek to protect ourselves from having to rehash our difficulties every time we turn around. The only problem is that when we pull away from our church and/or our support system, we find it harder and harder to deal with our burdens. The Bible is very clear that those who are stronger at any given time need to use their strength to help those in need (Galatians 6.2). Those who are in need, however, need to allow them! As opposed to isolating ourselves from our struggles, we need to allow those who love and care for us to fulfill their commandment to love and help bear those burdens.

Staying connected to the Body of Christ is essential. As you stay connected through life’s trials and tribulations, the next step is to stay active. You do this by praying, attending worship, participating in a small group, reading your Bible, and serving GOD by serving others – even when you might now want to! The bottom line is that your faith-life blazes for others who see you exercising your faith in the midst of your struggles. Knowing that GOD is the flame power for your life in good times and bad is an enormous example of faith in the midst of struggle…your struggle…your faith!

I hope you have been praying for the students who participated in this past weekend’s retreat. Now is the time when their work will begin to show forth as real life kicks back in. As their church family, it is our responsibility to support them in their faith and in their walk. Should they encounter tough times they thought would not come as a result of their newly found faith, it is incumbent upon us to not let them fall away. So this week, as we see a brand new enthusiasm for GOD, may it rekindle our faith as well, and remind us of the power of enthusiasm. It can change a life, beginning with your own!