Saturday, May 2, 2009

Infectious

My son and I are heavily engaged in a computer background war. I put a beautiful scenic, meaningful, complete with verse background on the computer, and sometime during his midnight snack he invariably changes it. My seventeen year old male child is working at getting a rise out of his middle-aged momma. 

One morning I woke to the welcome portrait of a shark with mouth wide open and ready to bite me. The photo was so up-close I wondered if the photographer still owned the camera, or his hand still belonged to him for that matter, or if were they now objects of shark flesh, (or you know, whatever shark food turns into). Of course he might have had a great zoom.

Yesterday I woke to the outline graphic of a hand raised and ready for a high-five. 

Whatever I find on my computer background causes me to smile. 

I hope that when I post my thought provoking, meaningful, beautiful, purposeful backgrounds it makes Josiah ponder. Or does it only stimulate an intense desire to outdo me.

This morning I found a warning posted on my background:

                           WARNING
Swine Influenza A (H1N1) Was Recently
              Detected In This Area
             Wash Your Hands Often. 
                   Wear Face Mask.
                       Remain Calm.

Ironically I was just reading in our local paper an article about the Influenza Epidemic of 1918. It reported the outbreak of 1918 killed more people that the Bubonic Plague. 

While I don't find this humorous, just interesting, it did bring a word to my mind. 

The word INFECTIOUS.

Have you ever heard a child giggle, and did it stir a giggle out of you?

Encountered a stranger, submerged deep in thought, you smile, so they lay their thoughts to the side for a brief respite, returning a beautiful smile to you.

Have you ever read an amazing work of fiction and been inspired to take up the pen yourself?

Have you ever listened to a man of God, teach from his heart with a sound  in his voice that makes you want to know more about God?

Or have you eaten the delicacies of a great cook and wanted their recipes and their passion for cooking?

Perhaps you know a godly woman who sits in the presence of God so much that her countenance bears the fact that she has been with Him, and being around her makes you want to pray more.

Do you know anyone with real joy? Joy that is full to overflowing, could never be contained, and is just plain infectious? 

Or witnessed peace in someone, unexplainable peace, when circumstances are so hard that there should only be terror?

Infectious..........(according to the Merriam Webster Dictionary) "spreading or capable of spreading rapidly to others.....Example: "Their enthusiasm was infectious."

Have you ever been impacted by the fire of another's enthusiasm?

Or someone's faith?

I have and so I hope and pray and desire to be infectious for good to someone. Perhaps what I leave on my computer background tonight will have an infectious impact on my seventeen year old. I am thinking it will take more than that, so for his sake I am praying to be infectious so that he he might be infectious, and the truth of the gospel will spread to epidemic proportions. 

I don't think epidemic is a positive word but I think you know what I mean.

I wish I could make a background on my computer that reads (of course it would be beautiful)

Warning: the family that lives in the house on the corner, made of red brick  with a porch that faces west, welcomes you. During your stay, we hope you catch something!


Blessings, friends!

Cheri




               

3 comments:

Marilyn in Mississippi said...

You have been infectious for good to someone today.....me! You are so right....we are infectious whether we mean to be or not. And it can be in a good way....or in a bad way. I can be feeling great and be around someone who is mad or depressed and pretty soon I'm feeling the same way! :)

I have just today read about your trip to New York to visit your kids. I loved the pictures and the stories!

God bless,
Marilyn

Laura said...

I agree with Marilyn, Cheri! You always infect me with your amazing faith.

And I had to laugh because my boys and I are in the same war! They love to take goofy pictures, download them onto the computer and then make them my background. Silly as it is, it always makes me smile too.

Sending love,

Laura

Joyful said...

Sweet Cheri, your love for Jesus is definitely contagious. Even indirect contact here has His Word spreading and impacting lives.

You ARE infectious!

Love ya,
Joy