subject: True Enthusiasm [print this page] A couple of weeks ago, some good friends of ours from Houston, Lee and Sheila Maxey, called our home and shared with us the great news that they had recently adopted a little baby girl. My wife, Lisa was so excited. She began to call some of her friends and LeeBeth was listening intently to the phone conversations and Lisas going, Oh, Im so excited to have a baby, and this and that. After Lisa hangs the phone up, LeeBeth looks into her moms eyes and she goes, Mommy, why are you so excited? Dont they know how much work its going to take to have a baby? Parents, and especially fathers, my six-year-old daughter, LeeBeth, was right and is right. It takes a lot of old-fashioned work to be a dynamic dad or a fantastic father. It really does. What kind of work does it take? you ask. Its something called the identification process. If youre going to become a great father, you have to work at something called the identification process, and it is a two-fold process.
First dads, we have to identify our childrens needs, and second, we have to identify our childrens gifts. Its a dynamic duo of fatherhood. Identify their needs and identify their gifts. If we can do that consistently over the span of our fatherhood, then our children will truly become people who can rock this world in a unique and powerful way. Identify the needs of your children, dads.
Let me close with a quick homework assignment. This is something that we can all do. In fact, we do it every day, but I doubt that we think about it. All of us wake up in the morning. Correct me if I am wrong. When we get up out of bed, one of the first things that we do is we look in the mirror. I have to put my contacts on because I am as blind as a bat. But we look in the mirror. In the future before you think about brushing your teeth, flossing your teeth, combing your hair, before you shave, look at yourself in the mirror and look into your eyes. Stare into your own eyes in the mirror. When you see your eyes looking back at you, think about the theme of this message.
Enthusiasm. Ed-Young In enthusiasm we are to make eye contact and then it should cause you to bring up the two Is of enthusiasm. Enthusiasm is intentional. So as you are looking at yourself in the mirror say, "Today, I am going to choose to enthuse. I am going to make an intentional choice to give an infusion of enthusiasm to every single person I see. Not some sweet, syrupy, conjured up emotion, but true enthusiasm. Make the decision as it relates to your marriage, to your friendships, to you work. Then think about the second I. My choice to be enthusiastic can inspire others. It can help, and it is a sign of worship. It can mark peoples live and move the heart of God. You see, with enthusiasm the Is always have it.
