Motivation

Last night we had our first lesson in our new Acteens Bible Study! It was really good. I think I enjoyed it as much if not more than the girls! We had six participate and the discussion was fun and enlightening! I think I will learn a lot from these girls over the next 10 weeks!

In other randomness…have you ever thought about what motivates you? I am weird so I think about stuff like that sometimes. And while I really want to say that I am motivated by some deep theological notion…today I am afraid that I have decided it is probably something un-holy like spite or stubbornness. Here’s why…last night I was laying out my running clothes while knowing that my running partner could not make it this morning. (and you need to know that I was like 3 minutes late meeting her yesterday because I hit snooze once). So I commented to my hubby that I was “pretending like I might actually get up and run by myself at 5am” and I laughed. He commented back “you can’t even get up when you have someone meeting you how do you think you will do it by yourself”. So…whether he was kidding or not…I got up and ran alone…3 ½ miles. =) You can stop laughing...

I think I need a t-shirt that says “I run…because he said I wouldn’t” =)

Seriously…what motivates me? Is it the world, my flesh, or something bigger? I think until we realize that only Jesus matters…we will never be motivated by the right “forces”. It is a daily struggle for me to look past the world and see Jesus in the back drop and do everything in His Name and for His Glory. It is much easier to just trudge along being motivated by worldly pleasures and flesh…there seems to be less conflict when you fit in to the world around you and blend in being motivated by worldly things.

But at some point we must realize that we don’t fit in. We were never made to fit in. It’s not in THE Plan.

I think one of my favorite stories is the first story of Abram. Genesis 12 captures the story. God tells Abram to leave his country, people and father’s household to the land I will show you”. Verse 4a says “So Abram went, as the LORD had told him…”. That is it. Abram went. No question, no discussion, no let me pray about it first, no give me a sign. He just went.

What do you think motivated Abram? Clearly not logic, clearly not worldly possessions (such as land or a nice house), clearly not family closeness (he only took Lot and Sarai and the people and possessions they had acquired…not his mom, dad, in-laws, etc. not his buildings), clearly not self-ambition or political power, clearly not anything relating to friendships, or local community ties because he simply left. I would say the thing that motivated Abram was…obeying God!

What motivates me? What motivates you? Think about it…

In Him,
Kristy =)