Eager (adjective): showing keen interest or intense desire or impatient expectancy
Earlier this month, I asked readers (via Social Media) to vote between three words to be the focus of my upcoming blog posts. The choices were Eager, Redeem, and Lament. Eager won by just one vote over Redeem, and so I decided to write about both words (Redeem will be next!).
Some of the comments from those who voted for Eager:
- With the start of a new year…so many of us fall into the “trap” of resolutions and trying to figure out what the year will bring. I’m drawn to the word Eager.
- Eager for a New Year, New Start!
- I choose the word “Eager” … for the excitement and anticipation it can bring to our walk with God at any time.
- Maybe eager as it feels more hopeful and like sins and shortcomings have already been washed away making room for growth to start anew.
- Eager!!! Eagerly working in God’s orchard awaiting the Lord’s return; eagerly waiting on God to show Himself in all our circumstances; eagerly seeking God…
I chuckle to myself as I recognize the comments for this word were a demonstration of its meaning!
To take a step back, the reason “Eager” was on my mind and put into the vote….
I frequently heard references about “the Proverbs 31 woman”, and as I studied these passages a few months ago, one particular verse jumped out:
She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands. Proverb 31:13
What specifically caught my eye was the word “Eager”, and I started asking myself these questions:
- What does it mean to ‘work with eager hands’?
- Where does God want me to direct my “eagerness”?
Once the vote affirmed that Eager was the winning word, I dug into finding answers to those questions. I have images that come to mind when I hear the word ‘eager’ – particularly of dogs and beavers. I’m sure that’s because of these often-used phrases:
- “Eager to Please” – I looked at this hashtag in Instagram (#eagertoplease) and was not surprised to find that most of the posts are about dogs and include dog pictures. Dogs are the ultimately model of what “eager to please” looks like!
- “Eager Beaver” – This expression denotes a keen and enthusiastic person who works very hard, alluding to the beaver’s industriousness and remarkable skill in constructing mud huts and dams.
But the actual definition of eager? It’s an adjective (descriptive word) that means “showing keen interest or intense desire or impatient expectancy”. Similar words (synonyms) include enthusiastic, spirited, and anxious. Opposing words (antonyms) include reluctant and disinterested.
As I reflect on the definition, I realize – Anyone can be eager towards anything! Examples of this variety can be found in scripture:
Since you are eager for gifts of the Spirit, try to excel in those that build up the church. 1 Corinthians 14:12
Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve. 1 Peter 5:2
The stingy are eager to get rich and are unaware that poverty awaits them. Proverbs 28:22
That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are in Rome. Romans 1:15
Eagerness itself isn’t inherently a good or bad trait, but it can be easily misdirected!
Misdirected eagerness is in conflict with the fruit of the spirit (Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.).
What do I mean by that? Well, in eagerness, I might become impatient or give into to the powerful desires of the flesh. Misdirected eagerness can make me dash headlong into a goal that I haven’t vetted with God, or cause me to disrespect God’s timing, or develop a “keen interest” that leads to idols.
Here’s the struggle I’m facing: Eager seems to be more of a human characteristic than a Godly one. In looking at the life Jesus, I find examples where at the surface, it appears Jesus showed restraint, rather than eagerness:
“You go to the festival. I am not going up to this festival, because my time has not yet fully come.” John 7:8
Was Jesus “eager” to go to the cross? Look at this verse describing a moment of Jesus’ prayer just before his arrest that would lead to his crucifixion:
He fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” Matthew 26:39
Jesus may *not* have been eager to go to the cross, but He *was* eager to do His Father’s will! Isn’t that ultimately the only thing Jesus displayed eagerness towards – doing His Father’s will? This seems to be the answer to my original question about where God wants me to direct my eagerness: Towards doing His will.
What a fine line to navigate – directing my eagerness to doing God’s will, rather than towards the specific task at hand. It’s really just a slight mindset change that makes it different. For example, as I look at my writing ministry, I ask myself these questions:
- When I create these articles for my blog, am I directing eagerness towards the writing or towards doing His will?
- Am I working with eager hands to satisfy my own desires or to share the gospel using the gifts and talents He has bestowed to me?
- Am I eager to shine for my glory or for His?
The word Eager is challenging me more than I expected. To come to terms with it for now, I’ve decided to slightly modify the dictionary’s definition and claim my own.
Eager (adjective): Showing intentional concentration, intense yearning, and hopeful anticipation towards knowing and doing God’s will.
May I have eager hands and an eager heart today!