Coasting only got us so far before we rolled to a stop.
There was only so much of a workout we could do in our basement. We started well, getting up and trying to keep a routine, but after the first few weeks, our exercises shortened, energy lessened, and commitment dropped. As soon as the state of Massachusetts allowed gyms to open, my husband signed us up for Crossfit. After being at home, Crossfit was a jump from level 1 to level 20. It requires a different kind of person, and it’s not me. I was sore every day for over four months. I still ache, but oddly, I’m starting to appreciate it because if I’m not pushing my body, my muscles become weak.
Writing can be the same way. The first blog I wrote took me a full three days to write, and it was only a half-page in length. It was a painful process, filled with self-doubt. Thankfully, I’ve become faster and more confident in my writing. Many novelists spend a year or more writing their first manuscripts only to toss them in a drawer or lock them away in their computer. I didn’t understand how they could sacrifice their hard work until I did it. Those first novels weren’t a waste. I think of them as boot camp training where I developed my writing muscles.
To change, we have to move.
It means making sacrifices and pushing through the temptation to give up. Change in the right direction will make us stronger. If we stay still, we atrophy. The same goes for our spiritual muscles. It weakens when we aren’t around other Christians, praying regularly, or attending church. We not only have to fight atrophy, but we also have to fight Newton’s law which states that objects at rest tend to stay at rest. It’s more work to get a flywheel started than it is to keep it moving. It’s easier to stay at home or stay in bed. Evil wants to keep our lives small, but God wants us to live with a grand purpose.
Change isn’t easy.
As soon as we set things in motion, opposition steps in. It tells us we’re out of shape, we don’t have Juwhat it takes, or to let someone more capable step up. Even Gideon tried to talk God out of changing him. An angel of the Lord found him hiding in a winepress to thresh his wheat and called him out. “Mighty hero, the Lord is with you.” Gideon probably looked over his shoulder to see if someone was standing behind him or if he was being punked by Candid Camera. He probably pointed to his chest and said, “Who me?” Judges 6:15 says Gideon replied, “But Lord,” Gideon replied, “how can I rescue Israel? My clan is the weakest in the whole tribe of Manasseh, and I am the least in my entire family!” The Lord said to him, “I will be with you. And you will destroy the Midianites as if you were fighting against one man.”
Covid-19 brought the world to a stop.
Many churches are talking about having to rebuild. It’s time to give the world a nudge or a push to take a step in faith. Let’s get some momentum moving in our favor. Galatians 6:9 says, “So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time, we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.” It’s time to get up and move.
It won’t be easy, but if we move, God will move. As He demonstrated with Gideon, if we stretch our faith muscle, God will show up, and He’ll show off.
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