Day 7 - Faith for excitement.

I admit, I found this quote and had to stretch myself to figure out how to post it during the 40 days of Faith.
I really liked this snippet - it's from the book Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis but I found this particular snippet at "Christ The Truth" For those that aren't familiar with the book, this is a terrific reversal book where "The Enemy" is God. It helps expose seemingly harmless things in our lives that the devil uses to trip us up.

But flippancy is the best of all. In the first place it is very economical. Only a clever human can make a real Joke about virtue, or indeed about anything else; any of them can be trained to talk as if virtue were funny. Among flippant people the Joke is always assumed to have been made. No one actually makes it; but every serious subject is discussed in a manner which implies that they have already found a ridiculous side to it. If prolonged, the habit of Flippancy builds up around a man the finest armour-plating against the Enemy that I know, and it is quite free from the dangers inherent in the other sources of laughter. It is a thousand miles away from joy it deadens, instead of sharpening, the intellect; and it excites no affection between those who practice it,

And I have to say, I wield flippancy like a warrior his sword. I also fear it like Superman fears kryptonite.

I can throw a joke out there to keep from admitting I care about something.
I hold back admitting I care about something lest someone make a joke of it.

"Flippancy is a thousand miles away from the joy it deadens"

Faith is substance. It's the stuff that proves what no one else can see. Faith, gives hope. Faith -in God - brings excitement. It's above all, beyond all, greater than, and better than.
Doubt - the opposite of faith.
Flippancy - the death of faith.

So today, the queen of flippancy says, ditch your flippancy.
Be joyfully excited, hopeful, happy, embracing those things that are good and beautiful.
Every voice in your head that says, and I'm quoting - "*shrug*" or "*yawn*" kick it to the curb.
Every scoffing line that runs through your mental conversation, every tiny portion that wants to make fun of some virtue because it's "odd" or "quirky" stamp it in the face.
Violently call it for the death that it is.

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

Those are the words of someone who won't be flippant.
Who won't make light.
Who knows something about power, and faith.

He also knows what things he shouldn't be ashamed of.

Faith, Hope, Love, Mercy, Grace, Redemption: all words and actions that you should never be ashamed of.

So besides the other 6 things I've said so far - faith gives you the singular joy of being excited, caring deeply and richly, without shame or reservation. Faith allows you to be unabashed in your love.

Faith...faith for more faith. That's the whole reason I'm writing.