What Does Inspire Mean?
Inspire has several meanings, but the one the our culture tends to use is this:
Inspire is to make (someone) want to do something; to give (someone) an idea about what to do or create.
We've lost the depth of the latin root from which inspire comes. Webster's 1828 Dictionary is a great place to go for traditional English definitions of words. It says:
- To draw in breath; to inhale air into the lungs.
- To infuse or suggest ideas or monitions supernaturally; to communicate divine instructions to the mind. In this manner, we suppose the prophets to have been inspired, and the Scriptures to have been composed under divine influence or direction.
Based on that, we believe that inspiration comes from God. {Tweet this}
Lacking Inspiration?
Do you ever feel like you lack the urge to teach your kids to love God and love the Bible?
Have you ever felt unable to start or continue working on discipleship with your kids?
The first time that the Spirit is mentioned in the Bible is in Genesis 1:2. The Hebrew word ruach in this verse is often translated as spirit, but it also can mean breath or wind or mind. In this verse, the Spirit of God is hovering over the waters participating in creation.
I love the picture that is drawn by these words. Inspiration is supernatural. It relates to the spirit and the mind at the very core of our everyday need. Inspiration is like inhaling our next breath. And each breath comes directly from God. Without inspiration, we'd be lifeless and dead.
Be Inspired
Inspiration sounds passive, doesn't it? But, the reality is this: You have an active part to play in inspiration. {Tweet this} Just like the writers of the Bible, we have to receive the inspiration of God, and then we have to do something with that inspiration. You're not writing divinely inspired Scripture. Instead, you're writing on the hearts of your children. You're guiding them on a path towards becoming a maturing Christ-follower.
At Kids in the Word, we want you to find inspiration. We point you to Scripture, experiences of other parents, and to your own kids to find the inspiration you need to instill a love for God and a love for the Bible in your kids.
What kind of inspiration do you need? Share in the comments.