Spiritual Alacrity (Part 1)
I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you. ––Psalm 32:8
In my line of work—as a fulltime pastor to men—I hear a lot of stories. And think about it: Why would a guy approach a speaker after a workshop or conference? So yeah, I hear a lot of sad stories. And yes, I hear the triumphs also—but typically, I’m ministering to men in crisis or near-crisis. Don’t get me wrong: that’s my calling, and I get a ton of joy and satisfaction out of being used to share the hope and victory that men find in Jesus.
But, one occupational hazard for me is numbness. My prayer is often, “Father, soften my heart toward the men I meet and the stories I hear.” Like anything in life that we do over and over, the danger—and not just for me, but for all of us—is to kinda zone out to tragedy and trauma. I mean, it’s not hard to find a sad story, right? All we need to do is open our phone in the morning and bam!, a whole lot of misery and sadness. Wars and rumors of wars. Political mumbo-jumbo and shenanigans. Celebrity downfalls and scandals. It’s exhausting.
As a man of God, we aim to have the faith of a child as Jesus admonishes us: “Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it” (Luke 18:17).
First, we must choose to live in reality—don’t try to deny that the world is a mess, or ignore the tragedies at your door. They are real, and the faster we can admit that and face it, the sooner we can start dealing with it.
Second, we need to realize that we are not Holden Caulfield; we are not responsible for catching all the kids in the fields of rye before they go careening off the cliff. Savior syndrome is toxic and destructive, and usually masks some deeper trauma that drives us to “over help” in the lives of others.
The key is to walk with spiritual alacrity. Or as the OG of basketball coaches, John Wooden said, to “be quick but don’t hurry.” Alacrity means “promptness in response; keenness, eagerness, zeal, fervor.” It means we don’t do it in our own emotional zone—it’s impossible to maintain keenness and zeal for the trauma and crises we face. No matter how much energy or commitment or passion you have, eventually you will run out. In contrast, God’s tank is always full, and His Spirit supplies endless source of power—if we allow Him to flow through us.
Father, help me be prompt, keen, eager, and zealous for You.
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https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/alacrity