{"id":4861,"date":"2019-02-10T09:00:02","date_gmt":"2019-02-10T15:00:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.barbdahlgren.com\/?p=4861"},"modified":"2019-02-10T16:01:37","modified_gmt":"2019-02-10T22:01:37","slug":"choose-to-be-enthusiastic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/?p=4861","title":{"rendered":"Choose to Be Enthusiastic"},"content":{"rendered":"

Choices change our lives\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n

By Barbara Dahlgren<\/em><\/p>\n

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What does it mean to be enthusiastic? Enthusiastic people have an intense enjoyment of life. They make an ordinary drive through the countryside an adventure. They make opportunities out of problems. They turn strangers into friends.<\/p>\n

Why? Because enthusiastic people are interested in those around them. They don\u2019t go through life in a ho-hum manner. They appreciate the gift of life and live it with warmth, zeal, and passion. They love God. They love people. They love life.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s take a deeper look at the word enthusiasm. In the Greek, \u201cen\u201d means \u201cin.\u201d \u201cTheos\u201d means \u201cgod.\u201d So basically enthusiasm means the Spirit of God within a person. Now there\u2019s a concept for you! God living in you! When God lives in us, how can we help but be just a little enthusiastic?<\/p>\n

Even from a physical perspective, we know that increasing our intelligence can be important. We know that having talent is a plus. We know developing skills can be helpful. However, you will find that it is enthusiasm that gives all those things the extra boost needed for happiness and success. Ralph Waldo Emerson said, \u201cNothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.\u201d<\/p>\n

Enthusiastic people are creative and get things done. They are doers of the Word, not hearers only. (James 1:22) They work with all their might in everything they do as if they are doing it for God. (Colossians 3:23) They are eager to serve. (1 Peter 5:2) They are eager to do what is good. (Titus 2:14)<\/p>\n

Since God is with us everywhere we go, we should never lack for enthusiasm, but we do, don\u2019t we? We block that Spirit. We stay self-absorbed. We don\u2019t smile. We don\u2019t connect with others. We are embarrassed to let God\u2019s Spirit overflow from us to others.<\/p>\n

So how does one keep enthusiasm? Perhaps the answer is in Romans 12:2. Paul says, \u201cDo not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.\u201d It\u2019s this renewing of the mind and spirit that keeps us enthusiastic.<\/p>\n

We must approach each new day with fresh eyes. We shouldn\u2019t awake defeated before we even start by saying, \u201cGood Lord! It\u2019s morning.\u201d We should awake eager to walk through another day with God. \u201cGood morning, Lord! Thank you for another day of life!\u201d<\/p>\n

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Consider this\u2026 Each new day is the one God has made. We need to rejoice and be glad in it. (Psalm 118:24) That\u2019s what enthusiasm is all about. Enthusiasm keeps life interesting and exciting. It keeps us from getting bored with daily routines. It keeps us energized, engaged, and focused.<\/p>\n

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Focus is so important. We must keep our focus on Jesus. From a spiritual perspective, we can\u2019t \u201cwork up\u201d our own enthusiasm if it is going to be real. True enthusiasm can only come from God living in us.<\/p>\n

One final thought\u2026<\/strong> If anything is worth doing, it is worth doing with all your heart.<\/p>\n

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Choices change our lives\u2026 By Barbara Dahlgren   What does it mean to be enthusiastic? Enthusiastic people have an intense enjoyment of life. They make an ordinary drive through the countryside an adventure. They make opportunities out of problems. They … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4861","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4861","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4861"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4861\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4861"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4861"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4861"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}