Photo Courtesy of UMC Lead
Inspiration
It hits you like a flash of light over coffee with an old friend; it bubbles up from passionate discussions over the week-long conference; it falls down on the staff retreat like manna in a barren desert:
Inspiration.
That evasive movement of God or the universe, inspiration is rarely expected but always delivers new life to the stagnant – a stagnant church, a stagnant vocation, a stagnant relationship. Inspiration is the word we use whenever we are given something that pushes us out of stagnation and into motion. Inspiration can be a grand vision, like the oft-quoted dream of Dr. King, or a basic shift in perspective or paradigm. Some inspiration seems to slowly rise up from below, surprising us with new vigor before we know what is happening.
Our English word, inspiration, is closely linked with the Old French word, inspiracion, meaning “inhaling” or “breathing in.” The original Latin inspirare offers the nuanced sense of “inspiring,” “inflaming,” or “blowing into.” Of course, we good religious folk will not miss the obvious connection to spirit contained in the word. By 1300, in fact, inspiration was most often used to describe the Holy Spirit’s immediate influence, as in the divine inspiration of scripture.
As our old granddad John Wesley described it, this inspiration of the Holy Spirit is “God’s breathing into the soul, and the soul’s breathing back what it first receives from God; a continual action of God upon the soul, the re-action of the soul upon God.”
Inhale and exhale.
Does that sound like the inspiration you have experienced? And what happens after the initial inspiration? When you think about the times you have felt inspired, has it been as constant and steady as breathing, or does the intensity of the inspiration ebb and flow? Strong at first, and then fading away?
Paralysis
Over a cup of coffee recently, a friend observed that our shelves are filled with the notebooks from countless inspirational conferences and meetings… and those notebooks never leave the shelf. Why is that? What keeps us from opening those conference notes again?
The pattern is common, and you may recognize it: Inspiration strikes us – the idea, the vision, the new perspective – and we return to our vocation ready to take on the world. We have a thousand ideas of how to reinvigorate this struggling congregation, that small group, or this non-profit. In every direction, we see new potential and brighter horizons. We are fully inspired.
And then comes the time to implement changes. It is the moment to truly make a difference, to use the inspiration to fuel real change. But where do you start?
“The laypeople need to be empowered to recognize and develop their spiritual gifts!” someone might say. A great idea. How shall we do that? A spiritual gifts retreat? An inventory? Weekly small group discussions? Whom do we invite to be a part of this? Which list of gifts do we use?
“But wait, isn’t it more important that the congregation finds its identity as a whole before looking at individual spiritual gifts?” comes a voice from the back of the room. Another good point. So we need to set aside time for visioning. And the clergy need to provide direction, but the identity must come organically from the congregation. Who will be a part of visioning? Or do we do a survey? Another retreat?
Then the copy machine breaks. Then three funerals happen in one week. Then the grant doesn’t come through, and there isn’t enough money to make it through the rest of the month.
As quickly as it came, inspiration seems to desert us, leaving behind the disappointment of another vision killed before it could become reality. We forget the inspiration that motivated us; the Spirit seems far away. We become paralyzed by the enormity of the problems and the constant flow of everyday distractions. Time to wait for another retreat to get that energy back.
Is There a Solution?
Does it have to be this way? Can we find a new pattern that allow inspiration to breath life into us long enough to turn vision into action? I look around me, and it seems so! Evidence abounds that inspiration need not die so quickly. After all, grand visions are becoming reality every day. If this were not the case, there would be no AfterHours Denver or Church of the Resurrection; Nashville would have no Contributor street paper, no Room in the Inn, no Open Table. Look around you; you know the churches and the organizations I am talking about. They are the ones who seem to have mastered that ability to let the spirit of inspiration take on real flesh.
In many ways, that is why UMC LEAD exists – to gather the bits and pieces of inspiration, bring them together, and see what the Holy Spirit might kick up in the midst of all our small attempts to make a difference.
So help me out, if you can. What are the lessons you have learned that can help us turn vision into reality? What helps you break out of paralysis and rediscover inspiration?
Gabe Horton is a student at Vanderbilt Divinity School and a pastoral intern at Belle Meade United Methodist Church in Nashville, TN. He blogs at UMC Lead.