Starting something new can be tough. Really tough. But I believe it may be even harder to re-start something or to start over again, especially if you stopped after suffering repeated setbacks.
I’ve recently been thinking about getting moving, both figuratively and literally. Let me give a simple explanation of a Physics law. Isaac Newton’s first law of motion states that an object at rest tends to stay at rest and an object in motion tends to stay in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an external, unbalanced force. What does that mean really? In a nutshell, all objects resist change in their state of motion — they tend to keep on doing what they are doing. If an object is moving, it keeps moving. If it is stopped, it stays stopped. The scientific word for this resistance to change is inertia.
In some ways, people follow this natural law. We resist change. We tend to keep doing what we’ve always done. It’s easier to just keep the status quo. The thing is, in physics, an object’s resistance to change is directly proportional to its mass. Although the literal analogy works if we are talking about Fred sitting on the sofa watching TV and eating junk food (the more he eats, the greater his resistance to get up), it helps to look at it another figurative way too. I believe mass generally correlates to elapsed time. The longer we do something one way, the more difficult it is to change. The older we become, the more resistant we become to change. The longer we continue in one state, the more we want to stay in that state.
But let’s say that you do make a change — an amazing courage-filled, act of will and determination change. Despite the effort involved (the force required) to change your direction, your new direction is set in motion.
And then the setback(s) happen. It could be an injury. Maybe it is an illness. Perhaps you experience a financial setback. Sometimes a trauma occurs. The setback could simply be the introduction of a new variable (a new baby, a new job, a home). Suddenly, our routine, our momentum is abruptly halted, and we are skidding on the pavement, unable to accommodate the sudden halt.
What then?
We find ourselves at rest again in this new endeavor. Stopped. Standing still. The longer we stand still, the more we want to (figuratively) stand still. Why?
Force, interaction, and isolation.
Great force is required to start again. You know this now. You’ve experienced it before when you started the first time. Force is required to start motion. In other words, there is no movement without a force being applied. This is Newton’s second law of motion.
This force is sometimes a huge emotional and/or physical effort. This force according to physics is either a push or a pull force resulting from the objects interaction with another object. Wow. Whenever there’s an interaction, there is a force upon each of the objects. When the interaction ceases, the objects no longer experience the force. In other words, forces only exist as a result of interaction.
One of the biggest dangers when we experience setbacks is isolation. If you’re in a routine of going to the gym and that is suddenly interrupted for a period of time, the desire to go back may be diminished. You don’t like the way you look, you’re embarrassed at your reduced capacity. You just don’t want to see other people reaching their goals.
When you experience a tragedy like the death of a family member, you don’t want to be around people who might remind you of your pain. You want to forget. You want to disappear.
The reality is that these interactions are the very pathway to the force necessary to get going again. The very thing we need to reboot is often the very thing we are avoiding.
How we move forward is not always intuitive. Different circumstances require different strategies. Imagine trying to move a mattress by yourself. Is it easier to push it or to pull it? Well, that would depend on the direction. Are you moving it up, into a truck or down, and out, of the truck?
Discouragement happens and hope is compromised.
When you see where you were (ahead) and now where you are (behind), it can feel overwhelmingly disheartening. The door is open for apathy. Knowing what direction to go, even if it is just forward, can be elusive.
When you find yourself sidelined and discouraged, then hope is compromised. Hope is cultivated when we successfully deal with adversity. The resulting experience builds hope. When our efforts do not result in success, however, the chain of events towards hope is compromised. It is difficult to believe in the possibility of success.
Be brave and be patient.
Courage and patience are required to get moving again. All of the above efforts require tremendous expenditure of energy, and you realize that you can not instantly make up time. Courage doesn’t mean that you aren’t intimidated. It simply means that you don’t let that intimidation shut you down. In like manner, patience is not an emotion. It is a steady commitment to something, either an ideal or a goal. Thus, it’s important to remember that bravery and patience are choices, not illusive qualities that you either have or you don’t. It’s the act of repeatedly making those choices to be brave or be patient that causes the corresponding virtues to become a part of our very nature.
Sidebar on lukewarm Christians.
Have you ever heard that God hates lukewarm Christians, that you should be either a hot, on fire Christian or a cold, unbelieving non-Christian? What? A cold unbelieving person is actually ok with God? Well let’s look at that reference. Revelation 3:16 says, “Because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth.” Lukewarm is the state of water when it is room temperature. In other words, that’s the state that water goes to naturally. Leave it alone and it becomes lukewarm. Not hot. Not cold. How does water get hot or cold? An outside force has to act on it for this to happen. Put the water on the stove or put it in the freezer. Put it in an interactive place with something stronger than it is, i.e., heat or cold. Then the water is affected and changed! That’s God’s plan for us: to interact with Him and with each other so that we can be changed!
Speaking of the promises of God.
It’s fun for me to look at scientific principles because I believe that God, in His wisdom, created all things. Thus, all things, at their core, speak of Him. But let’s look at some other things He actually says related to all that we’re discussing.
God knew that we would want to isolate, so he had Paul write about how important it is to be with other Christians.
And let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another. — Hebrews 10:24-25
He also knew the power of hope, even in the midst of starting something small.
Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but desired fulfilled is a tree of life. — Proverbs 13:12
Yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk not become weary. — Isaiah 40:31
Though your beginning was insignificant, yet your end will increase greatly. — Job 8:7
Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin. — Zechariah 4:10
Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary. — Galatians 6:9
These are just a few of the many promises and helps in God’s Word to help us in our journey.
It does get easier.
Remember, once you are moving, you don’t have to keep applying the force with the amount of energy that was required at the beginning. Once the object is moving, it keeps moving. It doesn’t want to change! So the force and effort and courage required is really just to re-start your movement. Now that’s good news! The momentum will carry you once you are moving.
I encourage you today to start those interactions that will cause a force to happen. Get together with a friend. Have a quiet conversation with God. Take yourself out of isolation. The force, once applied, will start you moving once again in the direction that you want to go.
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Loved this ! Thank you
Thanks, Angie!
This is really awesome. Thank you Angie.
Thanks Amber!