Ever since reading The Ragamuffin Gospel by Brennan Manning, I have been having a lot of fun. Why? Because I let go of “I have to. . .” and started letting God dictate what went on the schedule for any given day. Let me tell you, that will open doors you never even knew were there.
A couple of my friends who are around me a lot caught the bug and began doing it too. And let me just say, life has never been more fun!
We get together now and talk Holy Spirit. We marvel at the things He puts in our life to guide us, to encourage us, to teach us, or just to remind us He’s there. Living that yourself is cool. Sharing it with others is the most awesome experience I’ve ever had.
To be able to pick up the phone and scream, “AHHH! You will never guess what the Holy Spirit did now!” is so incredible, it’s hard to put into words.
Recently, I was reading a back issue of O Magazine, and I found this insight: the word enthusiasm, when translated from Greek means “with God.” Talk about a grab-for-the-phone moment!
When I told one of my friends that, she said, “Oh, how true is that! The more I’m with God, the more excitement and fun comes into my life.”
The other night, the same friend called. She had just gotten off work and was going to Wal-Mart. I could tell by the sound of her voice that it was not high on her want-to-do list. On a whim, (Thanks Holy Spirit) I said, “Smile at everyone there!”
Well let me tell you, by the time she got here after her shopping excursion, she was silly with fun. She said everyone she saw at Wal-Mart she gave a really big smile to. Apparently the reactions were worth the effort.
When I called her the next morning having just read the enthusiasm definition, she laughed. She knew exactly why. . . because living with God and sharing Him with the world can have no other effect than what is called “enthusiasm.” I tell you, those Greeks were smart people!