I had an opportunity to spend some time chatting with a friend earlier this week, catching up on what was going on in his life. As I listened to him speak, I couldn’t help but feel like I was listening to a motivational speech, gearing me up for action. To hear what he was working on made me want to work harder on the things that I have been immersing myself in, so that I could be a more effective pastor. In a word, he was inspirational.
I’ve long believed that this naturally beautiful island home of ours is inspirational. Surrounded by flora and fauna, whether that be the palm trees and live oaks or the eagles and deer, creativity seems to flow out of people here as an inevitable result of the awe-inspiring and inescapable scenery. But inspiration can also be driven by the sound of the waves pounding against the shore, or the tree frogs chirping away in the evening. Inspiration can also be found in the first bite of a deviled crab, or the scent of hand-crafted soap, or the complexity of an expertly-dyed scarf. All of our mind and senses are capable of bringing to our attention sources of inspiration, and the people of this community and the natural environment seem to feed off of each other to create countless opportunities to stretch beyond our current selves.
Yet what is required is a willingness to go outside of ourselves for inspiration. We don’t tend to inspire ourselves, unless it is looking at a readout on the scale or an old image of a younger, fitter self, but even then it is something beyond ourselves that prompts us to strive for something better. Inspiration comes in those moments of interaction, whether they are intentional or unintentional, that trigger something inside of us that had previously been dormant or perhaps even non-existent, spurring us to some form of action. Stay at home, stuck in the same routine, and you miss these multiple inspirational opportunities. Step outside, however, and you never know what might awaken inside of you.
The greatest source of inspiration, however, is the Holy Spirit. Why, you ask? Because God knew you before you were formed in your mother’s womb, and understands exactly what purpose you were created for. Only God knows how to channel your talents and interests into just the perfect spot, at just the perfect time, to yield the outcome that only you could have possibly achieved. To have the Holy Spirit abiding within you is to have the perfect source of inspiration within you, cleansing our hearts from that which is harmful or of little use, and instead focusing our attention on the things that we were created to do in harmony with God’s will. The one who sees the world and everything in it both as it is and as it was meant to be, offering you the perspective that will allow you to see more clearly than otherwise possible.
Our world needs a lot more inspiration today. Would you be willing to step beyond yourself to be inspired by the beauty of creation around you and the One who created it all?
Peace and blessings – Pastor Aaron