“What happened to the spark?”

A thought by Ray Johnston (2014-05-13) from his book, The Hope Quotient:  Measure It. Raise It. You'll Never Be the Same. (p.79). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)

That is a very good thought/question. 

Ray says, “Robert Fulghum wrote some of my favorite books, including All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten (which, unfortunately, I read after spending thousands of dollars on graduate school). One time when I heard him speak, he said, ‘Find any group of children and ask them how many can sing, and what happens? Every hand goes up. I ask, “What can you sing?” and they answer, “Everything!” “What if you don’t know the words?” “We’ll make them up!” Find any group of kids, ask them, “How many of you can draw?” and everybody’s hand goes up.’”

Ray then says, “But what happens when you ask that same group of kids the same questions twenty-five years later? How many can sing? Almost none of them. How many can draw? No hands go up. Fulghum asks a profound question: ‘What happened? What happened between kindergarten and adulthood to stomp out that God-given spark of passion that God placed in every single kid, so that by the time they become adults, the fire’s gone out? What happened to the spark?’”

There is the question, what happened?  Ray says, “I’m sure you’ve seen it happen. A marriage started aflame, but seven years later they’re just waiting for the last spark to flicker out. New Christians are fired up and passionate about their faith; three years later they treat the gospel as old, cold news. Churches start with fresh passion and momentum but decline into apathetic indifference. Everybody is all-in for a new start-up, but five years after the launch coworkers argue and fight over titles, policy, procedure, position, and the corner office.”

He asks another question, and then answers it,  “Is it possible to get that passion back? Can you reignite the flame, rediscover the spark, and regain momentum? Yes. Passion, hope, and momentum all return when people begin asking, ‘Regardless of what I see now— what can this become?’ That single shift reignites passion, creates new energy, and sets people on fire again to do something great in their world.”

So, will you ask that same question, “Regardless of what I see now – what can this become?”