Inertia

How to get back on a roll once you’ve stopped is almost harder than starting to begin with. When you first start something, you have no idea how steep the hill is. You have no understanding of how long you need to push. In fact, you don’t have any real concept of how hard you will have to work to get to a particular spot on the journey – so you just keep pushing. As long as you keep moving forward at the same pace, you are ok. But, the moment you slow down or stop – BAM! INERTIA!

Starting Over

You’d think that starting up again once you’ve already done something would be easier – I don’t think it is. I think it’s often more difficult because you now know what you’re getting yourself into. The act alone of getting that giant boulder to roll forward is so much more difficult. You don’t need to work nearly as hard once you’ve got that ball rolling – just a gentle nudge in the appropriate direction gets you where you want to go.

Habits

I guess that’s why routines and habits are so important. Once you get used to doing something the same way every day – it’s like walking downhill. Your body weight carries you. Then it’s just a matter of staying on the right path. There are days when I don’t feel like doing it. Worse, there are days when you desperately want to but, because of situations beyond your control – you can’t. Then you must take stock of why you stopped, what you completed before you stopped, and what you are doing right now.  Starting up again is hard. In fact, the longer you stray from your path – the harder it is to get started again.

Perseverance

Perseverance is not a sexy word. It’s not even an exciting one. It sounds like it should be the way it rolls of the tongue, but it encompasses the same stubborn depth of struggle as dogged, determined, tenacious, and persistent—those words all sound and like what they mean. Perseverance has an elegance to it. And, when you consider what needs to happen to get started again once you’ve been stopped mid-roll – it should. There is a deftness required to starting again – a certain amount of poise, dignity, and discernment needed to breathe deep and push. Jesus has the perseverance. Regardless of how many times the disciples said, did, or thought the wrong things – He continued. His promise to Martha is the same. Strive with me, Martha, and even if you die, you will live. Just watch. Lazarus! Come out!

40-Day Challenge Reading

Ephesians 4-6

John 11:25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die.