I began to think of people characterized by positive zeal—in
my view a very helpful attribute. Zeal
to me is quite different from being hyper—which is nervous, unfocused energy. Zeal suggests focused energy, discipline, commitment,
a purpose driven life and the energy and drive to carry it out. When I think of examples of people who
display zeal I think of Saint Paul, Mother Teresa, and Martin Luther King in the church; Teddy
Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, and Ronald Reagan in politics; Steve Jobs in business. It is wrong to think one must be an extrovert
to encompass zeal. There can be a quiet
commitment that nevertheless beelines to get things done.
Now I’m on a diet to lose significant weight. I have been on diets before, but this time I
feel zeal to accomplish my goal. Honestly,
I can’t say where the zeal comes from. I’ve
understood during many failed attempts to lose weight that it would be beneficial
for my health. In a sense, and I hope I’m
not being overdramatic, this time I feel the Holy Spirit is guiding me—that it is God’s earnest desire that I succeed in my diet and that he is assisting me to
do so.
Certainly some other factors help—imaging myself
with less weight, a new eating ritual that is working, steady evidence of
success, a doctor that provides encouragement and warnings. Nevertheless, I feel it is something outside
myself—something way beyond typical self-motivation and rah-rah pep talks that is different this
time. Beneficial zeal, I have finally
come to believe, is divinely inspired and driven.
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