I love excitement. I love being excited. I love the anticipation that comes with the morning of a trip, I love reading the first page of a new book, I love stepping back into history when I’m able to visit historical monuments. I especially love watching the eyes of those I love fill with excitement. What fascinates me most concerning excitement is the vast array of things that excite different people. One of my dear friends gets excited about really good food, while another would drop anything at the chance to go watch a musical, and a third is often found at Mavericks games. I know someone who is thrilled every time she gets something monogrammed, and I know someone who is ecstatic to learn about a new sewing pattern. My brother absolutely loves reading a good book with lots of action, my dad is the biggest Hallmark Christmas movie fan, and my mom lights up at the chance to use power tools. Witnessing those I love most fill with joy as they experience the things that excite them is one of my absolute favorite things to do.
What I find really interesting about excitement is both the way people become excited and the things that excite them are all different. When Jack gets excited he smiles really big and hugs my family, but when I get excited I don’t stop talking and I laugh excessively. The cool thing about excitement is it draws people in. Let’s be honest, there aren’t that many people who’d want to know all about the history of ancient Rome and the importance the developments that sprung from the Romans have on today’s society. But watching me light up with delight as I explored the Roman Forum and the Colosseum, my sweet friends and family wanted to hear all about it. Because I was so enthusiastic about the history of ancient Rome, there was a light in me that those around me wanted to experience.
I’m going to shift my focus for a second. I walked into church one Sunday and was incredibly excited to learn that our sermon was entitled “The Well”. One of my favorite stories in the Bible is the story of Jesus and the woman at the well, found in John 4. I love the way Christ so clearly shows His love for us in the pursuit of her heart despite her past. I love the way she invites the people of the town to come meet Jesus in verse 29 where she says “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did.” To me, that mirrors so beautifully Psalm 139, where David writes “My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” I’m astounded by the manner in which Christ both reveals His great love for us and exemplifies the way in which we should love others. The thing I love most about this story, however, is the way in which she reacts to discovering the truth about Jesus. This woman was out at the well in the middle of the day that she might escape the judgement of those in the town. I’m sure she was incredibly hot, tired, sweaty, lonely, and just plain sad. Then Jesus came and spoke life to her. And y’all. This part blows my mind. She was so filled with the excitement Jesus brought that she ran back to the very people who hurt her, to the people who led her to come to the well in the middle of the day, to the people who rejected her, and she told them to come meet Jesus. Her excitement about Jesus and His presence was so overwhelming that all her hurt, her fear, her loneliness, her insecurity paled in comparison. I don’t know about you, but I want that. I want to be so enthusiastic and joyful about what Christ has done for me, is working in me, and is offering to the world that I leave all my doubts and fears behind and run without hesitation to the very people who have hurt me, who have led me to come to my well in the middle of the day, who have rejected me, and tell them all about it.
I’m convinced that when we are filled with the excitement Christ creates, we’ll run without a second thought to spread that joy to the world. I’m convinced that when our eyes light up with the light Christ brings, people will want to hear all about this light inside us. I’m convinced that just as my nerdy history excitement led to the enlightenment of my friends and family, the excitement we have in Christ will lead others to know Him. I pray that we will become more and more like this Samaritan woman. I pray that we will truly embrace the love of a Savior who knows all the things we ever did, and go tell the world about Him.
Also I included some pictures of me in Italy so you can experience the history of ancient Rome. :)
What I find really interesting about excitement is both the way people become excited and the things that excite them are all different. When Jack gets excited he smiles really big and hugs my family, but when I get excited I don’t stop talking and I laugh excessively. The cool thing about excitement is it draws people in. Let’s be honest, there aren’t that many people who’d want to know all about the history of ancient Rome and the importance the developments that sprung from the Romans have on today’s society. But watching me light up with delight as I explored the Roman Forum and the Colosseum, my sweet friends and family wanted to hear all about it. Because I was so enthusiastic about the history of ancient Rome, there was a light in me that those around me wanted to experience.
I’m going to shift my focus for a second. I walked into church one Sunday and was incredibly excited to learn that our sermon was entitled “The Well”. One of my favorite stories in the Bible is the story of Jesus and the woman at the well, found in John 4. I love the way Christ so clearly shows His love for us in the pursuit of her heart despite her past. I love the way she invites the people of the town to come meet Jesus in verse 29 where she says “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did.” To me, that mirrors so beautifully Psalm 139, where David writes “My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” I’m astounded by the manner in which Christ both reveals His great love for us and exemplifies the way in which we should love others. The thing I love most about this story, however, is the way in which she reacts to discovering the truth about Jesus. This woman was out at the well in the middle of the day that she might escape the judgement of those in the town. I’m sure she was incredibly hot, tired, sweaty, lonely, and just plain sad. Then Jesus came and spoke life to her. And y’all. This part blows my mind. She was so filled with the excitement Jesus brought that she ran back to the very people who hurt her, to the people who led her to come to the well in the middle of the day, to the people who rejected her, and she told them to come meet Jesus. Her excitement about Jesus and His presence was so overwhelming that all her hurt, her fear, her loneliness, her insecurity paled in comparison. I don’t know about you, but I want that. I want to be so enthusiastic and joyful about what Christ has done for me, is working in me, and is offering to the world that I leave all my doubts and fears behind and run without hesitation to the very people who have hurt me, who have led me to come to my well in the middle of the day, who have rejected me, and tell them all about it.
I’m convinced that when we are filled with the excitement Christ creates, we’ll run without a second thought to spread that joy to the world. I’m convinced that when our eyes light up with the light Christ brings, people will want to hear all about this light inside us. I’m convinced that just as my nerdy history excitement led to the enlightenment of my friends and family, the excitement we have in Christ will lead others to know Him. I pray that we will become more and more like this Samaritan woman. I pray that we will truly embrace the love of a Savior who knows all the things we ever did, and go tell the world about Him.
Also I included some pictures of me in Italy so you can experience the history of ancient Rome. :)