inspiration

Just hearing her excited speaking was an inspiration so strong, I wanted to listen.

The song he sang was done with so much emotion, I immediately identified my own feelings.

Watching the skill of his work with freshly dried walnut was amazing enough to me that I wanted to try the same thing. Inspired!

Great works of art on museum display, classical music composed by Beethoven and Mozart, coordinated, and disciplined athletic prowess which is displayed during Olympic competition – all serve to motivate, challenge, encourage and inspire us.

Consider the people who have inspired you. I will mention only a few of countless people who have inspired me, through the years.

• It was my dad who showed me the example of excellence in working and building. His advice: “If you don’t have time to do a job right, when are you going to have time to do it over?” That counsel is still locked in my memory some 70 years after his passing.
• It was my mom who showed me the example of faithfulness in serving, when she went to serve on the mission field of Africa at 70 years of age.
• It was my home preacher, Bruce Burdick, who challenged me for ministry by giving me opportunities to preach while I was a High School student.  
• There have been elders in every church I have served, who took me aside to give me personal encouragement and prayer support.
• It was my father-in-law, Andy Larson who was unafraid to commend and support my ministry, regardless of where I had moved away from his home with his daughter and his grandchildren.
• It is still a blessing for me to have Karen as my wife, who has been with me through every situation in ministry.  I have never wondered about her love, her dedication to the Lord, her commitment to our ministry, our children or to me.
• Then, there is the treasure of our friends who have been so faithful through the years with their love, advice, encouragement, and reinforcement of their care. (If you are reading this, you must may be one of those “encouragers.”

What is it that causes people to be an inspiration to others? I have a simple answer. That answer is we took time to look at what God has done and is doing. I witness the inspiring work of God Almighty in the creation of all He has made. That work points to a Master Designer, who has this wonderful order in everything He has created, from the mitochondria found in a DNA sample to the color in a butterfly’s wing. The condition for witnessing this inspiration is slowing down long enough to look and listen. “Take time to smell the roses.” God has been at work all through the ages. It is still inspiring.

Yes, I do have my bias: I believe the Bible is inspired and inspiring. That is not my idea, but it is a core belief, recorded in 2 Timothy 3:16-17- ¹⁶ All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, ¹⁷so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Inspired means: “God breathed.” Do you know what happens when God “breathes” into something? ANSWER: It comes alive. That is what happened to Adam, recorded in the book of Genesis. Adam became a living soul. God is the person from whom inspiration comes. He speaks and something happens. That kind of inspiring stimulus is exactly what I need to become an example in my generation. We could inspire folks around us. These are the people of our generation. They are friends, co-workers, neighbors, and relatives. We can do it, if we will watch for ways to encourage people around us. Decide to encourage someone. It may be the exact stimulus your friend needs. It is your turn to inspire! Let’s do it! I may even help someone to see the Creator of “inspiration.”