The Enthusiastic Steward
Have you ever been at a concert and rushed the stage to get closer to your favorite act? Has your favorite sports team won a championship, and you just wanted to celebrate for hours? For those of us who are parents, have you ever gone to great lengths to get the perfect photo at a first Communion, graduation, or some other ceremony in which your child was involved?
When moments in our life are filled with enthusiasm, we can find ourselves overwhelmed and doing things we might not normally do. I bet Zacchaeus didn’t have a regular habit of climbing trees. However, he climbed one so he could see Jesus more clearly. His enthusiasm led him up a tree, an action he probably would not normally do.
Following Jesus Christ is not easy in this world of ours. Trying to do it without feeling any enthusiasm makes it doubly difficult. Enthusiasm is something that can be grown, but we must be the ones who foster it. When we see the fruits of our stewardship, enthusiasm grows. When we spend time in prayer and in God’s Word getting to know Jesus better, enthusiasm grows. When we work to make Jesus the most important person in our life, enthusiasm grows. If we find ourselves too often with our feet on the ground and growing in apathy, perhaps it is time to do what it takes to bring on that desire to climb a tree.
— Tracy Earl Welliver