Who Inspires You?

     Our modern understanding of inspire is someone who gives us ideas, or who makes us want to do something. It’s a watered-down understanding of the word… while inspiration does enliven us, the root of the word means to breathe life into. 
     For those of us of a Christian background, the breath of life is sourced directly from the third person of the Trinity – the Holy Spirit! So when we inspire, we are living IN the Spirit!
     So my question remains… who inspires you? Who invites you into that delicate dance with the divine? Whose mere presence makes you want to be the best version of yourself? Whose smile lightens your heart? Whose voice elicits a joyful response in your soul? Who shares idea that makes you feel alive to the core of your being?
     These people, then, are your inspiration. They are the ones who God has put in your path (for however long!) to remind you of your place with and IN the Spirit of God. 
     To dwell and abide in the Spirit is a gorgeous reality: the comforter. The advocate. The creator. The enlivening bringer of breath. The wind of God that hovers over and in all of creation. 
     To dwell and abide in the Spirit is, however, not a passive state. To dwell in the Spirit is to be moved – by the Spirit – into acts of grace and love. Of kindness and compassion. Of truth and peace. Of justice and equality. The Spirit that pulsated over the waters from the beginning of time, that descends like doves and dances like flame, that breathes new life into old bones: this is not a static Spirit! It is the Spirit of fearless movement, of faithful action, of bold response to a world seeking love. 
     So: who inspires you? And what have they inspired you to do?
     And: how might your Spirit-led actions bring life to the world?
     As we dwell in the joy of the Spirit, we know that when we pray “Come!” we are committing to the movement of inspiration – wherever that may come from. 
     Come, Holy Spirit, Come!