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So, do you remember the first time you saw or did something exciting? Maybe it was your first time going to the movies (for me it was 101 Dalmatians… yep, in the theater), or perhaps the first time you rode a roller coaster? There’s always that sense of thrill that comes with the unknown. It’s almost unquenchable… that is, at least for a little while. You see, the problem with riding that roller coaster 100 times or going to see a movie every weekend is that after a while the magic and the sense of expectation tend to dull. Going to a movie is still fun, but consider this:

I’m pretty pumped to get to go see Transformers 2 (I know, I haven’t seen it yet. I’m lame.), but that excitement in no way whatsoever compares with how excited I was to see 101 Dalmatians. At first glance animated puppies hardly compare to CGI alien robots that can turn into cars, right? But then why did I lose sleep over the anticipation of seeing that movie almost 20 years ago? And why is it that Transformers 2 came out last week and I still haven’t seen it?

I think it’s because I no longer have the sense of wonder about movies that I used to. And what’s sad it that the same thing happens with roller coasters, going to the beach, and playing baseball with only 3 people (”ghostman on second!”). The more we do these things, the most familiar with them we become. The more familiar we are, the less interested we become. It’s a vicious downward spiral that’s almost inescapable.

(For those of you who know where this is going, here’s where I go ahead and put the “Jesus Spin” on it)

So then, how often does this downward spiral manage to kill off our excitement for the Divine? Though it’s sometimes hard to remember, every once in a while, I find myself thinking about what it was like to pursue God when I was in middle school. I didn’t know half of what I know now about God or the Bible, but I think it’s safe to say that I was twice as excited (most of the time). Don’t get me wrong, that desire is still there. The excitement is still there. It’s just that now I have to purposefully ignite that fervor where it used to happen spontaneously. I guess that’s why we’ve put so much stock in daily spiritual disciplines such as praying, Bible study, and keeping a journal. Perhaps these things are simply to serve as a reminder that we need to be more excited than we are. God hasn’t changed. We’ve just become more familiar with Him.

It’s at times like these, that I’m really glad I had a video camera on the day that Zeke got his first balloon. He’s just so excited. I’d imagine that when he’s 24 he’ll be quite a bit less excited over silly things like balloons, but it’s my hope that he’ll still find ways to get excited about those things that deserve his time and attention. Enjoy:

Zeke’s First Balloon from Josh Boldman on Vimeo.