Voices From the Rut

I spent a fortune
On a trampoline,
A stationary bike
And a rowing machine
Complete with gadgets
To read my pulse,
And gadgets to prove
My progress results,
And others to show
The miles I've charted'
But they left off the gadget
To get me started!

Right about now, today, you are feeling the pull of those bad habits. They are crying out from the rut of lost desires. It doesn't take long for the voices of the past to decry the implementation of change. Like some unfolding Broadway drama, these voices dramatically present their case on why the rut is better than change.  As a matter of fact, some voices are so strong, the excitement of the 'new' year has already become an echo down the hallway of procrastination. Clearly, there must be something stronger than those calls to quit that motivates you to move forward in this challenge. The "I will start tomorrows" either have gotten old or will get old, and the next thing you know, another 'new' year will be here with a new set of resolutions. If you are truly going to meet the challenge of change, there comes a time when you MUST command your body to follow your will.

One of my favorite inspiring story is the one of Sir Edmund Hillary. He was the first man ever to climb Mt. Everest. Yet most do not know he failed at his first attempt to climb the might mountain. Even though his first attempt had failed, the English government wanted to honor him. On the stage where Edmund Hillary was to ascend, a huge picture of Mt Everest was on display. Its picturesque presence loomed over the stage and the audience with its own mighty audacity! As Edmund Hillary climbed up the stairs and walked upon the stage, he turned and looked up at the towering picture of Mt Everest and said, "You defeated me But you won't defeat me again Because you have grown all you can grow.... but I am still growing" And with that inner fire, the next year, Edmund Hillary became the first man to conquer the mighty mountain!

The word 'motivation' is a noun which means, "the psychological feature that arouses an organism to action toward a desired goal; the reason for the action; that which gives purpose and direction to behavior." Many times the question is asked..."What motivates you?" What is it that lights your fire? What is your driving purpose? Is it your family? Is it a desire for more money? What arouses your inner fire to push forward into the day? And the questions could go on... but something does motivate each and everyone of us.

Stephen R. Covey said, "Motivation is a fire from within. If someone else tries to light that fire under you, chances are it will burn very briefly." The fire must be from within! There must be a burning desire within you that pushes you toward a mark or a goal! If you are pushed, prodded, and prompted to go forward, you may go forward, but those kinds of fires fizzle out in a very short time.

History is littered with the passion of men and women like Edmund Hillary. Who refused to give up even when they probably had a right reason to quit! Men of renown...Edison, Ford, Bell, Singer, Carnegie, and on down the line of great achievements.

Then, when all is said and done, the Word of the Lord begins to illuminate my thoughts and the patriarchs of the past step into the forefront of my mind! Eternal examples of men and women who battled insurmountable odds to fulfill the calling of God in their lives. Pictures of resolute men, who withstood temptation and persecution, to see a move of God in their life time. Noah, while building an ark, preached for a hundred twenty years in the midst of a generation who's imaginations were only evil continually. Moses refused to be called son of Pharoah's daughter. Who was motivated to fulfill a calling far greater than the riches of Egypt! Men of greatness such as Caleb and Joshua, who withstood the temptation of the wilderness. Then there was Joseph, though he had the 'right' to be bitter, refuse to be consumed by anger or hatred against his own brothers. Of course, one cannot forget the Author and Finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising the shame. Though many tried to dissuade Him from going to the cross, Jesus looked out through time and saw YOU and He saw Me. God so loved the world that HE gave himself to be a living sacrifice to a lost and dying world. He came to reveal the true glory of God that was lost in the Old Testament law because it was weak in the flesh!

Love motivated Him because love never fails! Riches will fail, material possessions will fail, friends and family will fail, and rest assured governments will fail, but LOVE will never fail.

What motivates YOU? What is your deepest desire? What turns your wheels and cranks your shaft? Only you can discover it and only you can light that fire? AT one point in his life the Apostle Paul said he had not obtained, but there was one thing he did do, he would forget the past and reach forth unto the mark of the prize of the high calling of Christ Jesus. This was His chief motivation...this was his greatest desire! Don't you think its time to keep your fire burning? Truly, how has life in the rut benefited you anyway?