Gridblog #2: Inspired

Wouldn't it be something if I had to tell you that this is a belated gridblog post because I wasn't inspired to write about who inspires me!? Fortunately, that's not the case. Just a bad case of no-internet-access-itis.

So who does inspire me?

My Grandma. I wish everyone could meet her - of course the selfish part of me wants to keep her as my hidden secret! She's raised 5 boys; 5 high energy, accident prone, farm boys. She's been instrumental in the lives of all of her grandkids. She's survived a huge heart attack and, in some ways, come out stronger. She's a cook, a seamstress, a painter (which by the way, she started after she retired), along with a number of other things! Most of all it's her faith and outlook on life that inspire me. I want to be like Grandma! That said, I have a fantastic family and, in their own way, each one inspires me at different times and in different ways.

I've been thinking a lot about living life as a servant as I live out my faith. About how life as a follower of Jesus includes service. Mother Teresa has always inspired me but lately her life has been even more inspirational to me. I can't even imagine living through sacrifice for others the way that she did. Because Jesus did. Because He is our example.

With that in mind, it would be completely unrealistic to say that the life and person of Jesus are anything less than inspiring! To love like Jesus loves, serve like he serves, live like he lives, accept as he accepts, believe as he believes, obey as he obeys, sacrifice as he sacrificed (in a manner of speaking)...while I aspire to that, I know that I have a long, long way to go!

Moses, David, Esther (love that there's some inspiring women in the Bible!), Mary the mother of Jesus, Paul, Timothy, Noah...the story of our world, of real people, as recorded in the Word of God gives me a "road map" for how to live and breathe.

Some of my students at the college inspire me. Each are so unique and have different barriers to overcome and dreams to reach for. Their love for life, service and each other is inspiring to me. Being a little bit removed from that point in life, it's easy to forget what it's like to feel like the whole world is infront of you - yes, I know I'm not that old - but they remind me and inspire me to look through their eyes and see what they see.

Little kids - like Madalyn, Sidney and Aiden - inspire me too. Jesus talked about living like a child, about having faith like a little child. Watching them, I see what he means. Oh to be that innocent and excited!

This might sound silly, but people who really believe in me inspire me. In my relationships with people around me, I believe that people will reach the expectations that you set for them. Set the bar high and they'll reach for it. Set it low and they might reach it but the odds are pretty good that they haven't reached their potential. I'm like that. I'm a high achiever. I'm thankful for those around me who believe in me, who see my potential and encourage me to reach it...they make me believe that I do have potential and to see it lived out in my life. They inspire me to find more in myself than I thought was there because they believe that it is. For those people, I am thankful!

To steal from John, movies inspire me too. I love the stories, the characters and the lives portrayed. There's something about a good movie, in my books, that will engage, teach and transform. For me, it's never just brain candy or a time to check out - although sometimes it's a nice escape into someone else's world - it's a time to learn and see another side of life that I may not have found on my own. Each movie, in it's own way, says something about life and about how the writer, even the culture at large, views life. To have an opportunity to dialogue after with others that have seen it only make it better! I feel the same way about books - fiction, non-fiction, classic or contemporary. It doesn't really matter but each page is an opportunity.

I know I could keep going. Walk through church history a little and you'll find some amazing heroes of faith. The women's suffrage movement is full of people that took a risk for what was right and fair and good. There are scientists, writers, inventors, composers, musicians and entrepreneurs who inspire me by not only their creativity but their willingness to risk. Leaders of some of our contemporary churches, in North America and beyond, grow my picture of leadership and of Kingdom work. Refugees and those in some of the poorer countries of our world inspire me for their perseverance and fortitude...I feel so small in the grand scheme of things but by the example of those around me am inspired to become a little bit more each day.