One of the biggest challenges we face is to stay fully engaged in life. That means living life with gusto.  When we are fully engaged, if we cook a meal, we prepare something interesting.  We don’t just grab a can of soup.  If we have a yard to maintain, we read gardening magazines and creatively landscape it.  If we have laundry to fold, we do it with care.  Then we organize our closets so that they look like inviting.  If we have a job, we give it our best effort.

Being fully engaged means doing everything with enthusiasm.  Interestingly, the word enthusiasm is derived from the Greek word enthousiasmos, which comes from enthous, meaning ‘possessed by a god, inspired.’  So when we live life with enthusiasm, we are possessed or inspired by God in all that we do.

When we don’t fully engage in life, it quickly slips into drudgery. Suddenly, there are just piles of dishes to wash, clothes to fold, and beds to make.  When we are excitedly immersed in life, those dishes, beds and clothes become opportunities for creativity.  It is a matter of perspective.

Consider Paul’s advice in his Epistle to the Colossians:

“And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.” Colossians 3:23-24

Following Paul’s simple advice is life changing. If every act we do is for God, then those acts have an importance beyond the act itself.  Our day-to-day tasks aren’t merely tasks.  Instead, they are part of our service to God.  And anything we do for God should be done heartily – with energy and enthusiasm!

Admittedly, it sometimes is hard to live a fully engaged life. These days we are bombarded with distractions.  The Internet, television, movies, video games, you name it.  There are so many things that modern society offers to distract us from living our lives with zeal.  Instead, those things seduce us to sit and watch others living their lives to the fullest.

We were made to experience life firsthand; we weren’t meant to be observers. We were made to create and to accomplish.  That is how we gain confidence in ourselves and our abilities.  It is how we feel fulfilled.  That is why I love Paul’s admonition that “whatever you do, do it heartily…”  That wasn’t just a religious prescription.  Paul had a keen understanding of the human mind and what it needs.

By living life fully, we also hopefully get closer to our God-given purpose. None of us is here randomly.  God placed each of us here for a reason.  We have things to accomplish and people to serve.  We have a beautiful earth to enjoy and people to love.  We can’t do any of those things from the sidelines.  The only way we can live the life that God intended is to be fully engaged.

This week, try to focus on being fully engaged in all that you do. Live life heartily!  When we approach life with enthusiasm, our lives are transformed.  If you make this shift in attitude, you will be blessed with a renewed sense of energy, accomplishment and appreciation for the life God has given you.

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