There are a number of words I love in the English language. Sometimes it's the sound or the image that pops into my head when I hear said word, like 'cook' or 'dog' or 'exuberance'.
'Exuberance' is a beautiful word and the picutre I see is that of a puppy, gleefully, wildly charging across a green lawn, jumping, luring us to play, then happily settling down to chew on our shoe.
Checking a dictionary you come up with more beautiful images: joyful enthusiasm, overflowing with eager enjoyment or approval, superabundance, lavishness, luxuriance, vitality, zest, buoyancy. And the list goes on.
Exuberance has been on my mind these last few months. God has been showing me my lack of love for people, my self centeredness, my tendency to harbor grudges, hurt feelings and disappointments, letting them grow into bitterness, discontent and lack of love. And ultimately, where there is no love, there is hate. Which was a shocking revelation for me because who wants to say of herself that she actually hates others?
At the same time God has been showing me his exuberant love for me and the world. Yes, I do, in way, see God as that wildly ecstatic joyful puppy, tongue lolling, slobbering all over my shoe. But that's the way God loves us - freely, totally, superabundantly, luxuriantly, lavishly, full of vitality and zest, exuberantly, and overflowing with an eager enjoyment and approval of ME, of US!
How amazing. I am humbled to know that with all the grime and muck in my heart He still jumps around me, calling me to play, calling me to joy, just wanting to love on me.
And I am to love because He first loved me. Exuberantly. So that has been my calling for this year. Learn to love, exuberantly. Because you are loved exuberantly.
