I’m so blessed to have Donya Dunlap guest posting for me today. She is both a friend and a fellow author who is always inspiring me to go deeper, to dream bigger, to live passionately by faith. Donya has a very influential ministry with women as an anti-slavery/sex trafficking advocate. She has written a book called “Forgetting the Fairy Tale” and shares her musings here on her website and blog. I hope Donya’s voice will be a blessing to you today:
Last summer I sat with a friend and brainstormed ideas for a ministry that was still a growing dream in my heart. We tossed around names and landed on “Infusion.” That might seem a little odd for a women’s ministry, but it resonated with me for several reasons. Let me begin by defining the term.
The dictionary definition for infuse is:
Pronunciation: \in-ˈfyüz\
Function: transitive verb
Inflected Form(s): in·fused; in·fus·ing
Etymology: Middle English, to pour in, from Middle French & Latin; Middle French infuser, from Latin infusus, past participle of infundere to pour in, from in- + fundere to pour — more at found
Date: 1526
1 a : to cause to be permeated with something (as a principle or quality) that alters usually for the better b : introduce, insinuate
2 : inspire, animate
3 : to steep in liquid (as water) without boiling so as to extract the soluble constituents or principles
4 : to administer or inject by infusion
Function: transitive verb
Inflected Form(s): in·fused; in·fus·ing
Etymology: Middle English, to pour in, from Middle French & Latin; Middle French infuser, from Latin infusus, past participle of infundere to pour in, from in- + fundere to pour — more at found
Date: 1526
1 a : to cause to be permeated with something (as a principle or quality) that alters usually for the better b : introduce, insinuate
2 : inspire, animate
3 : to steep in liquid (as water) without boiling so as to extract the soluble constituents or principles
4 : to administer or inject by infusion
The word “infusion” gives us a mental picture of what Jesus had in mind for our lives.
1) We are to be infused with the Gospel. It isn’t supposed to be a ticket to hold on to that gets us into Heaven when we die. It’s supposed to be a way of life. It is supposed to permeate every fiber of our being and overflow onto others for their betterment.
2) Christ has called us to this overflow—to pour into our lives the truth’s of God’s Word and to pour out our lives in service to others as He poured out His life for us.
3) We are to be so intertwined with the Holy Spirit as to be one with Him. The result of that kind of life is one that inspires others to action. Reading the book of Acts and other historical documents of that day testify to this fact.
When you allow the Holy Spirit to infuse your life, it changes you, and the world around you.
When I think of infusion, two things come to mind. I think of my grandmother making sun tea in the summertime. It was a simple process. She filled a clear jug with water and tea bags and set it out into the sun. Over time, the tea became inseparably connected to the water so that it created a new substance. Several friends of mine have also used this concept during their wedding ceremonies. Each individual pours a glass of salt or sand into a jar to symbolize their union as a couple. The two become one.
Infusion is permanent.
If you wanted to separate the tea from the water or the bride’s sand from the groom’s it couldn’t be done. (Not without some incredibly expensive scientific equipment from a high tech lab at least.) The process of infusion takes what was and makes it into something new—and in the case of the Gospel—something better.
It’s been many months since that day that I read the definition of the word infusion and dreamed of the potential ministry founded on that idea. The seeds of that dream are beginning to take root and grow. God is at work and I love seeing the evidences of that every day. But I’m reminded that you can never have too much of the Gospel infused into your life. I must continually pour into my life the truths of Scripture and allow the Holy Spirit to disperse them throughout my soul.
[…] Infusion is an incredible description of the power of the Gospel. It permeates our souls and makes us into something completely new. […]