Unmotivated?

“I passed by the field of the sluggard and by the vineyard of the man lacking sense, and behold, it was completely overgrown with thistles; its surface was covered with nettles, and its stone wall was broken down. When I saw, I reflected upon it; I looked, and received instruction.”   Proverbs 24:30-32 (NAS)

I have been in a state of unmotivation for quite some time now.  I have lost some of my “want to” and have been in search of it, but it remains hidden somewhere in my mind and heart.  I confess I have been a slacker!  But, I also have to confess, that it hasn’t bothered me enough to motivate any change on my part.  I don’t know about you, but I can have some really good “pity parties” where I beat myself up over my inability to reach a goal or maintain a good habit.  So, I slide into this unconsciousness where I move through my day as if someone else were pushing me in all the wrong directions.  Then I come to at about nine o’clock in the evening and wonder why on earth I still haven’t accomplished what I said I would accomplish in my morning “to do” list.  After being thoroughly disgusted with myself I proceed to beat myself up with some good ole stinkin’ thinkin’ and go to bed in anticipation of getting another chance at a new beginning in the morning.  When morning comes, I start out with great intentions, but a fog comes over me about midday and the cycle begins again. 

This morning while having my time alone with the Lord I was reviewing some memory verses and was led to look them up in my Bible so that I could read the verses before and after them.  One particular verse stood out:  Proverbs 24:32.  This is a verse I often quote and I had forgotten its context.  Boy, did the Lord open my eyes to my unmotivation problem.  He convinced me that it isn’t a motivation problem it is a s-i-n problem!  The words “sluggard” and “lacking sense” leaped off the page and like a sword cut straight into my heart.   By allowing some bad habits to creep into my life like the thistles and nettles that had covered the sluggard’s field, the walls of self-discipline in my life are crumbling around me.  I have become rusty on some of my scripture memory verses, have gained about five pounds, and have allowed one of the bedrooms in my house to become so cluttered that I can’t even open the door!  It is a risky thing to share so openly about my struggles, but I do so, in order to let you know that everyone struggles and we all stumble on occasion. But the good news is, that if we reflect on our situation long enough we will learn a lesson from our struggles and as we seek God and His Word we will receive instructions on how to get up from our stumbles! 

A picture of me leaping over a wall!

Micah says it best, “But as for me, I will watch expectantly for the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation.  My God will hear me.  Do not rejoice over me, O my enemy.  Though I fall, I will rise, Though I dwell in darkness, the Lord is a light for me.”  (Micah 7:7-8)   Today I am admitting my sin of laziness rather than using the excuse of not being motivated.  I am choosing to call out to the Lord, asking Him to be my light in this dark place and to lead me out of here!  I am claiming 1 Corinthians 10:13 once again, “No temptation has seized you but such as is common to man . . . He will provide a way out, so that you can stand up under it,” and Jesus’ words to Peter after he was found sleeping instead of keeping watch, “Keep watching and praying that you may not come into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Mark 14:38)  I am so thankful that the Lord Jesus forgives us when we confess and that He washes us and makes us clean again.  He is my motivation today, to take up once again God’s calling and gifts and to press on toward the goal, that is Christ Himself.  "For You light my lamp; The Lord my God illumines my darkness.  For by You, I can run upon a troop; And by my God I can leap over a wall." (Psalm 18:28-29) 

Pressing on!

Nancy Taylor

Philippians 3:14