Zeal

Zeal:  “The passionate ardor in the pursuit of any thing.”  “Enthusiastic devotion to 

            a cause, an ideal or a goal and timeless diligence in its furtherance.” *

I awoke very early again this morning and laid there in the dark, thinking about my wife.  Suddenly the word “zeal” popped into my mind and I began to quietly laugh with the understanding of how that word accurately describes the way my partner in life has lived her days.  I also realized how this same zeal is needed for us to successfully complete the destiny we were called to fulfill in our lives.

It was her zany zeal for life that drew me to my wife back in High School.  It wasn’t just her gorgeous smile and funny disposition though, it was a joy for the Godly life that was deeply etched within her heart that showed forth as a beacon of light.  She had such a engrained knowledge of God’s love for her that nothing could move her from that happiness that gushed on to whomever came near her.

Yesterday I mentioned a tense time that occurred many years ago on the job.  I talked about my easy going demeanor in the midst of the pressure and how my intent was originally misconstrued by my boss. What I didn’t mentioned though, was how I was handling the pressure that I was feeling on the inside of me during that experience. That event was especially tough on me as the new manager was placed into that position after the higher ups “moved” our former leader who just happened to be a very good friend of mine.  I always felt that it was a bad decision on the part of management.  Unlike my friend who had strong working knowledge of the manufacturing process that our line was involved with and also enjoyed an excellent relationship with everyone on the team, the individual that replaced him was a young engineer with very little people skills. Inserting that combination into a pressure situation was like pouring gasoline on a fire!

It seemed to me that I was the only one on the management team that understood that, at the time.  (This played out later out as the new manager did not stay in that position for very long…) Needless to say, the inner emotions that I was experiencing only exasperated the outside pressures that our team was facing at the time.  If it had not been for the support and the strong zeal for living the Godly life that my wife demonstrated before me, I think that I may have ended up being one of the catastrophes of that explosive situation! 

Her sweetly encouraging voice mail messages that I would find waiting for me when I would return to my desk from the many emergency meeting that were being held, the little love notes scrawled on the napkin in my lunch bag each day and the quiet embrace or clasping of my hand when I would drag myself in the front door after a 10 – 12 hour workday all helped to give me the strength to complete the difficult task before me.

This zeal is also a very important ingredient to have and to use from our personal tool box in our lives.  It takes the “enthusiastic devotion to the cause” that God has called us to in order to complete our destiny.  This zeal will assist you through the tough times when everything else seems to fail you.  This zeal will help to keep you focused on Jesus Christ and the power of His word.  2 Timothy 2:8 instructs us to “always think about Jesus Christ…”  (Gods Word ©)  It’s that power through the Holy Spirit in us, that keeps us going no matter what anyone or anything else is telling us.  How strong is your zeal right now?  Stay tuned and keep asking yourself… “What am I expecting today?”

*   A combination of Webster’s 1828 Dictionary and the American Heritage College

       Dictionary – 3^rd edition, 1993