Inspiration ≠ Industry

Imagine with me the pioneer boy whose task is to split firewood for the cabin fire, the family’s only source of heat, and the fire on which food is cooked. He’s had this job for a while, and, well, it hasn’t gone so well lately. His father has a stern talk with him about doing better, and, wanting to please his father, he is inspired to do better. And so, out he goes, and in the power of inspiration, splits enough wood for two weeks.

But two weeks pass, faster than one would think, and, wouldn’t you know it, the dash of inspiration that spurred him to action before is strangely missing. But, he drags himself to the wood pile, splits enough for tomorrow, without much enthusiasm or enjoyment.

It’s winter, and one never knows when the next snow will come. Splitting wood only for tomorrow does not take into account blizzards. And, blizzards happen. And when it does, the family is holed up in the cabin, with a dwindling supply of wood, and no one able to find the wood pile in the blowing snow, much less split wood. The cabin gets cold. The food is uncooked. And so Dad takes his son’s dining chair, breaks it to pieces, and uses it for fire and stove wood. His son will have to stand at dinner from now until Spring, when a new chair can be made. Why? Because inspiration ≠ industry.

If you and I rely on inspiration, we will fulfill acts of responsibility and service when we feel like it. And sometimes, it will be exciting and enjoyable. But there will be plenty of other times where inspiration will be depleted. And if we have not practiced the skill of industry, we will be searching for something or someone to blame for our tasks not getting done.

Believe it or not, there is enjoyment to be found in doing work, even when we are not inspired. Get up, get going, and put your back into it. What we find is that, often, the enjoyment is found, not at the beginning, but in the middle, or at the end. But when we rely, not on inspiration, but on industry, we do not have to lay in bed and diagnose how we feel. We get up regardless, because we have a job to do, to which we have committed, and we serve, because it’s what we do, because, it’s what our Lord did for us. 

So here is a final thought question: was Jesus always inspired to greet another crowd; face a long line of needy people; experience resistance and rejection? Or, did he simply commit to do the will of the Father?