The word, enthusiasm, has an interesting origin. It comes from two Greek words. En, which means in or within. Theos, which means God. So, the literal meaning of the word, is “God within,” or “in God.” With this origin, it makes sense to consider enthusiasm as a spiritual and religious practice.
Many other words come to mind when you think of enthusiasm. Ardor. Zeal. Whole-heartedness. Eagerness. Excitement. Passionate. Enthusiastic people have a special kind of energy. Often, it is an energy that you can feel when you are around them. This doesn’t mean that they are frenetic or loud, although that may be true. Instead, they are deeply engaged in whatever they are doing: a conversation, a project, an activity. You can tell they aren’t just going through the motions; what they are doing means something to them. It is not just a task. It is a celebration.
One way to understand more fully the practice of enthusiasm is to consider its opposite. The opposite of enthusiasm is boredom or apathy or sluggishness. It is not that you hate your life or the world around you. Instead, you look around and there isn’t much that is interesting. It feels like you are going through the motions; there is a sameness to all that you do. It is like living on autopilot. You are doing lot of things, but you aren’t deeply present or engaged with them.
Enthusiasm has an interesting history as a spiritual practice in the Christian tradition.
During the Enlightenment period of the 18th century, enthusiasm was actually considered a disease by some Christian leaders. There were lots of writings that described the symptoms of the disease. These people were called “enthusiasts,” and it was a derogatory term of ridicule for Enlightenment people who thought rationality and reason were the way to make sense of and give meaning to life.
To be sure, there can be excessive displays of enthusiasm, but enthusiasm is far more than emotionalism or sentimentality. Enthusiasm means you have been deeply touched by something, so deep that it shapes your thoughts, your feelings, and your actions. And when what has touched you is the sense of the divine in the world, in you, or in someone else, enthusiasm becomes a spiritual practice.
It is interesting that some of the spiritual traditions who are uncomfortable with enthusiasm have people they call saints. Saints are described as people who seem almost possessed by a vision of the divine presence. We describe them as close to God or seeing the face of God. This closeness to the divine presence can lead to some enthusiastic behavior which we might describe as strange, I guess, if it wasn’t happening in the life of someone called a saint.
What are some of the ways that we can make enthusiasm a spiritual practice, and not just an emotion we feel, and then it subsides.
1. Maybe the place to begin is with the question: What am I passionate about?
As you sit with this question, what comes to mind? Are there memories of times when you felt alive and energized in a way that was different from other times and places? These don’t have to be big, life-changing events. They can be simple moments that happen throughout the course of your life. Are there themes and patterns to when you feel this enthusiasm, when you feel filled with something? Certain times of the year? Certain settings? Certain people?
Your initial response may be: Well, I’m not really that enthusiastic about anything. Stay with the question for a while and see what emerges.
2. Check in with yourself throughout the day.
It is easy to live so much of your life on autopilot. Now, there is nothing bad about autopilot. You don’t want to get up every morning and figure out how to brush your teeth or get dressed. Our lives need a rhythm and a routine. But the rhythm and routine can become a rut.
Set aside some moments during the day to pause and step out of the autopilot mode. What is happening inside your body? What thoughts are filling your mind? What emotions are you feeling? Just observe them. Don’t label them as right or wrong, good or bad. Just wonder: Do these sensations, thoughts, and feeling move me toward or away from the passionate life I want to live? Even in their presence, how can you give yourself to enthusiasm?
3. Think of someone you would describe as a saint in your life.
This is someone who, for you, seems to be infused with the spirit of the divine, the spirit of life. What are some of the specific things about this person that lead you to hold them in such high regard? How has this person touched you with their enthusiasm and passion?
4. Practice enthusiasm in your worship practices.
John Wesley has these instructions for singing hymns. “Sing lustily and with good courage. Beware of singing as if you were half dead; but lift up your voice with strength.” Think about how you participate in hymn singing during worship. What would it be like to sing more lustily, to lift up your voice with strength?
All worship experiences have a pattern. Some churches follow a liturgy. Even non-liturgical churches follow a pattern of worship that is mostly the same every week. It is easy for the pattern to become going through the motions; you can do worship on autopilot. Pick out one part of worship—a prayer, a scripture reading, a litany, a sacrament—and give yourself to it fully. Look forward with eagerness to that part of the worship, and enthusiastically experience it.
5. Practice enthusiasm in other spiritual practices.
Consider, for example, the reading of the sacred or meaningful texts of your tradition. For me, that would be the Bible. Read the texts with eagerness. Don’t simple read the text for lessons, insights or teachings to apply to your life. Look for images in the words that fuel your enthusiasm. Put yourself in the scene; become one of the characters and imagine how you would respond as the scene is unfolding. Notice the sounds, smells, and sensations of touch. Notice the colors and the expressions on the faces of others. What happens inside of them, and inside of you, as the scene unfolds.
Yes, there is a place for logic and reason and rationality in the spiritual journey. But even ideas and teachings and doctrines can be something you enter into and experience with enthusiasm.
To use images from scripture, don’t just serve, but be “eager to serve” (1 Peter 5:2). Be “eager for the gifts of the Spirit” (1 Corinthians 14:12). Have an “eager willingness” to complete the work of faith you have begun (2 Corinthians 8:11). Be “eager to do what is good” (Titus 2:14).
Embrace the spiritual practices of enthusiasm.