AMEN! AGAIN

Now that people are reading my blog again (maybe because I'm posting again?) I want to say more about what I posted a few days ago in "Amen!"

Here's what my trusty online dictionary
has to say:

Main Entry: amen
Pronunciation: (')ä-'men, (')A-; 'ä- when sung
Function: interjection
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English, from Late Latin, from Greek amEn, from Hebrew AmEn
-- used to express solemn ratification (as of an expression of faith) or hearty approval (as of an assertion)

Most of us know the translation as "So be it." Depending on use, it has nuances of "May it be so," or "It is indeed so," a word of general agreement and belief.

I noticed, when I heard someone say it on the radio, how much it sounds like "I'm in!" -- either way it's pronounced. This made me think.

I thought about what "I'm in!" means.

"I'm in" for the long haul. I won't back out. I'm committed.

I'm promising my contribution.

I've entered the race.

I will be an active participant.

I'm part of the team.

You can count on me.

I will give whatever it takes to achieve the hoped-for result.

I will do all in my power to keep what we have accomplished.

In a way, it's not all that different from, "So be it." "Amen."

I thought about what I would mean if I said "I'm in!" instead of "Amen."

It charges me to continue what I have begun, or, more properly, what the Lord has begun.

The prayer is not over. It's just getting started. It's ongoing. I have footwork to do, whether physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual, when I "end" a prayer with "I'm in!" I am not done with this prayer or this endeavor.

"I'm in." It's my new "Amen."