Who desires to follow an idea that is mediocre? Who wants to align with a leader that throws cold water on innovation? A pessimistic person who complains most of the time does not usually attract a large crowd of followers. In fact, a negative person filled with negative comments has a negative influence on everyone around them. I have personally experienced many conversations that started out in a positive vein with encouraging words and positive ideas. Then the negative voice chimes into the conversation with words of impossibilities and bad weather. Creative thinking is met with several reasons why the idea will never fly. The beams of lights coming from innovative minds are sucked into the black hole of negativism.
On the other hand, enthusiasm is contagious. Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm” Words of passion combined with a genuine, heartfelt commitment to a cause or an idea, can fill an audience with a desire to hear the story. My ears perk up when I hear the zeal of a vision, the dynamics of a dream, and the fire of creativity. One of my colleagues in grad school was one of those individuals that always had something creative on the front burner of her life. She was a shaker and a mover with multiple hot irons in the fire. She had a way of communicating her ideas and strategies that always made me so excited to see what would happen next in her life. She was a special person to be around – one that would motivate me and inspire me to attempt greater in my life.
“Enthusiasm” comes from two Greek root words: “en” and “theos” meaning “in God” or “God within.” When God provides the vision and the dream, how can we be anything but passionate and vocal about the calling on our lives? Pessimistic talk with dark clouds and empty pockets seem totally out of place for the people of God. We certainly need realistic planning and level-headed analysis. We must make decisions based on the best research available and the accumulation of the wisdom of trusted counselors. But the cold blankets of an organization and the whinny, negative voices among the employees need to change or be replaced.
Ralph Waldo Emerson (May 25, 1803 – April 27, 1882) was an American essayist, philosopher, and poet, best remembered for leading the Transcendentalist movement of the mid 19th century.
Very interesting. This is not a topic that I hear talked about often. I appreciate your concise and significant description. I searched for "enthusiasm" in Scripture, but found nothing. The word "zeal" and its variations appear around 25-50 times, depending on the translation. Is there an equivalent to enthusiasm in the Bible that would fit more closely than zeal?
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