Rev. Richard Smith
Romans 12:11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor.
Ironically, I’m writing this post while Pat and I are recovering from the whammy of Covid. While we haven’t had it so bad that we needed outside medical attention, we have been body slammed so to speak.
In a way, writing about zeal in life is most appropriate in some of the least joyous moments because there is no such thing as zeal, joy, happiness apart from lives that naturally have their measure of challenges. As I’ve frequently said, Jesus-followers are not immune to the hardships of life. Zeal for life, then, is most commendable when we express it in the less pristine moments and experiences.
What is zeal? Zeal is “enthusiasm”. It is steady interest in and enjoyment in life. In essence, then, Paul is saying here in Romans 12:11, Don’t let the happenings of life get to you in such a way that you lose your zeal, you lose your enthusiasm, you lose your soul-grounded joy.
One might say that being one of the 2 million refugees having to get out of Ukraine will greatly impede one’s ability to manifest joy. I don’t disagree. But, as I noted in writing about hating evil, when we Jesus folks intentionally and unwaveringly address evil, we help plan seeds of hope and possibility for those who truly suffer.
Then there’s the insight of Victor Frankl, Holocaust survivor and author of the noted, Man’s Search For Meaning. He reminds us all that even in the most dire circumstances we have a critical choice we can make…to believe in and find the good. He writes:
Everything can be taken from a person but one thing: the last of human freedoms – to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.
So, in daily life, amidst the routines and responsibilities we each face, what does it mean to live with zeal?
- To believe, again, in the unrelenting good work of God;
- To seek out and affirm the extensive good human beings are doing;
- To believe that amidst our challenges God can and will provide spiritual and emotional support;
- To gladly acknowledge that we each can make a worthwhile contribution to life;
- To celebrate the daily joys and blessings which routinely come our way;
- To acknowledge, with Frankl, that we choose our overall disposition and that choosing joy makes sense;
- To commit, with God’s help, to being a resilient person of faith and hope.
Now, at the heart of living with zeal is a conviction to “keep our spiritual fervor”. God understands that there are times when we imperfect and fragile human beings will doubt and question. That’s just being human. But when we keep our spiritual practices steady, draw upon the available spiritual resources, lean into God’s presence and help, and appropriate the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, we are far more likely to live with zeal, joy, and hope!!
