Enthusiasm and fulfilling the vision

I like to hang around enthusiastic, positive, committed people.

One of the men that I have read about (and read some of us writings) has been a man by the name of Fred Smith, the FedEx CEO and founder.

He first developed the idea for an innovative air-freight company while he was a student at Yale University. His professor was less than impressed; the paper Smith submitted outlining the concept earned him a "C".

Thirty years later, FedEx is the world's largest express transportation company, with 128,000 employees and more than $7 billion in capital.

This short-sighted professor didn't take a few things into consideration. One is Smith's persistence—he simply refuses to give up. Another is his resourcefulness—when plan 'A' doesn't work, there is always a plan 'B' to put in motion.

Most important, however, is Smith's ability to recruit others to his vision. People want to be part of what he is involved in—even to the point of sacrifice.

In the early days, for example, his pilots often refueled company jets with their own money. Sometimes they sat on paychecks for months to help keep the company afloat.

How does he do it? How does he command such devotion from his employees?

Fred Smith's greatest asset is his enthusiastic determination to get the job done. It sounds like a cliché, but he believes in what he is doing. As a result, he inspires loyalty.

I trust that you are catching my desire and enthusiasm for seeing us complete the God-given vision of relocating our church to 183rd street.

I trust that you are seeing the "what can be" of the move. Thousands driving by the church on highway 80. A connecting place for those wanting to worship from the western suburbs and Joliet area (with 355 opening up). A lighthouse to the thousands moving into the southwest suburbs every year.

Every day, as I drive by and see our property, I visualize the building and people coming to the building for ministry.

Yet, hear me well, my dear friends. It's going to take sacrifice. It's going to take persistence. It's going to take commitment. It's going to take loyalty to the cause.

If you pray for me about anything, pray that I will continue to exhibit that same kind of enthusiasm in my position as a leader.

The Christians in Philippi offered Paul this same kind of loyalty. They supported him through prayer, hard work, and sacrificial giving. Why? Maybe they were inspired by the enthusiasm they observed in Paul when their church was first founded.

You remember the story: After being beaten in the town square, Paul and Silas were thrown in jail. They were singing hymns late into the night when an earthquake came and shook the foundations of their jail cell, freeing them from their chains.

Paul could have escaped. He could have left Philippi and never come back, but instead he stayed, and took the opportunity to lead the jailer to Christ. Paul believed in what he was doing, and his enthusiastic determination to spread the gospel encouraged the Philippian believers. [Acts 16]

Your enthusiasm has a profound effect on others. When you approach anything with an upbeat commitment to get the job done, people begin to take notice. When they see that you believe in what you are doing, they become willing to join in the process.

The secret, then, is to pour your life into something that captures your heart, and give it all you've got. Solomon said, "Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might." (Ecclesiastes 9:10) You will find that your zeal is contagious, and it will spread to the people around you.

Will you join me in seeing the vision fulfilled?