Okay, I don’t believe in telepathy. But I do believe that external things can impact my energy. By that, I mean I don’t necessarily have to consume something, especially a high-sugar drink, in order to get a boost of energy. The warm sunshine inviting me through the window can give me just the boost I need to get outside for a long walk. Reading about a Facebook friend’s boost of fitness success can motivate me to stick with my goals. And what can get me off the couch faster than just about anything is finding a good competitive fitness show on tv.
After a night of little sleep, I was lazily watching television with my family. During a break in the football game, we were looking through the guide, and I saw CrossFit Challenge. I’m nowhere close to being a CrossFit athlete, but I have a friend who is training, and it intrigues me. I’m impressed by any extreme, well-rounded athletes. I like to not only watch them compete but also listen to their stories about how they got started and train and what motivates them. We decided to watch for a few minutes and were quickly impressed with the fitness level. The fact that the competitors don’t know the specifics of the events in which they’ll compete impresses me. If you want to test what you can handle, train for the unknown!
After watching for about thirty minutes, I couldn’t sit still any longer. As lazy as I had felt a short time earlier, I was now motivated to get up and move. Since the Challenge was scheduled for another couple hours, I took full advantage of the energy involved in the competition. I jumped on the elliptical and worked out without a break for over an hour and a half. I was doing nothing at all close to what the CrossFit athletes were doing, but I was moving along with them. Seeing the extreme effort of others was just the motivation I needed to get a boost of energy. It’s not the first time. I’ve done the same after watching a wide variety of sports and competitive shows. I could stay on the couch and not fully benefit from the motivation, but I (usually) want to use the fuel.
How you respond to opportunities to spiritually grow is important. You’re not always going to feel like serving, sacrificing, and studying. It’s sometimes easier to lie on the spiritual couch and watch others do what you feel you can’t or don’t want to do. It’s easier to become a spectator instead of expending the energy. Too many people sit on the couch when they’re being invited to participate. Too many people coach from the couch instead of getting active themselves.
In what areas of your life do you sit back as a spectator more than jump in as a participant? Consider why you sit back. Is it fear? Do you feel insufficient? Are you being lazy? Do you think getting active would be a waste of time? Do you have extensive experience in an area and feel you don’t need to be involved anymore?
Search for sources of energy that get you off the spiritual couch. Do something, anything. When something motivates you, take full advantage of it. When you read something in a book that intrigues you, search out the biblical basis of it. When a speaker says something that challenges you, write a note to yourself to intentionally live it out soon. If someone in need comes to mind, do something to help.
“Do what God’s teaching says; when you only listen and do nothing, you are fooling yourselves. Those who hear God’s teaching and do nothing are like people who look at themselves in a mirror. They see their faces and then go away and quickly forget what they looked like. But the truly happy people are those who carefully study God’s perfect law that makes people free, and they continue to study it. They do not forget what they heard, but they obey what God’s teaching says. Those who do this will be made happy.” (James 1:22-25)
God provides motivation and energy. Use it well. Live intentionally.