Who, or what, inspires you?
I’m not talking about the physical act of breathing in (which is also known as inspiration, or inhaling.) I’m talking about things that motivate you, that give you enthusiasm and increased energy and keep you going in the right direction when maybe you don’t much feel like it. One dictionary definition of inspiration is “stimulation of the mind or emotions to a high level of feeling or activity.” What are those things or people which inspire you?
Here is a list of things which inspire me, in no particular order.
Faithfulness
Quiet, steadfast faithfulness inspires me to be faithful to God. Faithfulness is a fruit of the Spirit, but is often overlooked in favour of more ‘showy’ attributes. Faithfulness is reliable and committed, often doing mundane things, things which are repetitive or unglamorous but which need doing. It’s much easier to start things than it is to finish them, but faithfulness is the thing which keeps people going.
Perseverance
I guess this is allied to faithfulness. Ongoing perseverance inspires me. I think there is such a lot to be said for stickability in our society which wants instant solutions and quick fixes. I listen to musicians’ skills and understand that a great deal of persistence and practice have gone into the final sound I benefit from. No amount of talent can make up for perseverance.
Eugene Peterson, in his excellent book ‘Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places’, says that “in the Christian way, patience and urgency are yoked… There are no shortcuts to becoming the people we are created to be.” Perseverance understands that and doesn’t give up. Paul tells us, in 1 Corinthians 13, that love doesn’t give up. Most qualities we admire are mixed with perseverance to make them even better!
Congruent living
I’m not talking about the mathematical sense of the word here, but about the quality of agreeing and living a life that is appropriate to one’s beliefs. I guess I see this as the opposite of hypocrisy, where someone says one thing but does another. Congruent living is ‘practising what you preach‘; it’s about living out one’s faith in every situation, about having consistency in one’s lifestyle. That kind of living is really attractive. I’m sure we all know people who inspire us because they have integrity in how they live; they are not just ‘putting on a show’. They are real – flawed people, maybe, but people who are striving for honesty and to integrate God into every part of their lives. Tim Hughes’s song ‘Everything’ captures this idea so vividly – God in every part of our living.
Integrity
So much of life is spent wearing a mask. We learn early on in life how to fit in, but so often that is at the expense of honesty. People who combine loving behaviour with honesty and integrity inspire me. They show graciousness but don’t pretend to be something they’re not.
Vulnerability
Vulnerability is not a very popular idea, since it means ‘capable of being wounded or hurt’ and we don’t much like being hurt. But people who are real, who live honest lives, will get hurt and we actually need to see that being wounded is not the end of the story. We serve a God who uses broken people. Hebrews 11 talks about those ‘whose weakness was turned to strength’ – if we only ever see raw strength, how will we ever learn from weakness?
Those who allow us to see their imperfections but who understand that God is transforming us inspire me far more than those who pretend they have already made it. 1 John 1 says “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.” That’s the kind of vulnerability I’m talking about – allowing others to see our weaknesses and sharing the struggles we face so that we can all learn to rely on God’s love and grace more and more.