5 THINGS TO DO WHEN MOTIVATION RUNS LOW
Hi! Welcome to part four of our New Year's series! Today, I want to start with a verse that has incredibly blessed my life.
¨Therefore, no condemnation now exists for those in Christ Jesus.¨ Romans 8:1 (HCSB)
We´ve been talking about creating an incredible year. I truly believe 2021 can be the best year we´ve had if we focus on Jesus and the abundant life He's promised. He wants you to live in peace. He wants you to have more than enough. He wants you to powerfully share your story. He wants you to lead others to His love through friendship and discipleship. He wants you to look at yourself in the morning and feel SO loved and think, ¨Wow, I am His masterpiece!¨ (wink) He wants you to pay off your debt and live a life free of disease. He wants you to be a person of influence in your circle. He wants you to have a healthy and happy family. He wants all of this and SO MUCH MORE for you and me. But let's face it, there's a mean bully who doesn´t want any of this for us. He goes by the name of Deceiver, among others. And that is exactly what He does. His favorite tricks are Guilt, Fear, Worry, and Stress. So today, we´re going to talk about what to do when one of the Deceiver´s friends shows up in an attempt to stop us from moving forward.
Did you ever play dodgeball as a kid? Honestly, I don't remember if I was great at it or not, so for argument's sake let's say I was awesome! But I've often felt that I´m playing dodgeball against the enemy. He throws thoughts of guilt that I´m not doing enough or doing too much of something. He hits me with guilt that stems from comparison or past experiences. But Romans 8:1 tells me ¨no condemnation now exists for those in Christ Jesus.¨ I love this so much!! In the love of Christ, there is no condemnation, it simply does not exist. Imagine that! A world where condemnation no longer has a hold on you...well friend, that kind of peace is available to us in Jesus. When we position ourselves in His love and surrender to His grace, we can enjoy the freedom to dream and conquer.
So let's start! What to do when guilt knocks at the door:
1. Breathe.
Dr. Caroline Leaf (I spoke about her in part 3 of this series) says it takes about 60 to 90 seconds for intense emotions to die down. Sometimes when I sit down to work on a new project, I hit a few bumps along the road. Clearly, this affects my hype and can lead to stress. But when feeling overwhelmed, the first thing I do is lift my eyes from my computer screen and breathe. If I am bombarded by thoughts that don't come from the Lord, I inhale and say ¨I take in the peace You´ve made available to me right now¨ and exhale the burden. Look out the window and remember there is a beautiful world filled with beautiful things; life is bigger than what we are thinking and feeling!
2. Change your posture; physically and mentally.
Get up and do a few jumping jacks, shake off the stress, walk and with every step you take give thanks. Also, change your heart and mind posture. Position yourself in the unconditional love of God, in His abundant peace, in trust! It's as simple as saying, ¨I position myself in the love of Christ. His love casts out all fears, His love meets my every need, His love sustains me¨.
3. Consider what is triggering the resistance and make a plan to overcome it.
Resistance is not bad, remember in part three we learned that we can do hard things. So if a project seems daunting, focus on one thing at a time. Working out has helped a lot in renewing my mind. When I feel tired and want to give up, I say to myself, ¨Yes, I am tired and in pain, but I am stronger now than when I started so there’s no point in giving up now”.
4. Ask for help.
I will admit this is something I am learning to do. Friendship is a beautiful thing! God has placed people in our lives to support us in the process. Just knowing that someone is praying for me lightens the load, it reminds me I´m not alone and I'm surely not the only one fighting. Give yourself the gift of honest conversations and mutual encouragement.
5. Take hold of grace for today.
Discovering a weakness should be exciting because it invites in His grace! There is grace for you TODAY, for the dishes you need to wash, the disciples you need to call, the bills you need to pay, the texts you need to answer, the laundry you need to fold, and the college papers you need to write. :)
Friend, I have found such sweet grace and freedom walking with Jesus. I´m not sprinting with Him, although some seasons He asks me to, my relationship with Him is a walk. There´s time to talk, to look at the scenery, to listen, to stop and rest. The point I am trying to make with all of this is that in the process of going after our goals and dreams, there will be days when life interrupts. The success is in knowing how to jump back from what might be considered a setback, but it's only a setback if we don't get up again. ;)
So, if your goal was to do your devotional every day this year but you missed a few days, don't let guilt keep you from showing up today. God is waiting for you with open arms ready to speak. If it was a crazy week at work and you didn't spend as much time with your family, don't feel guilty. Instead, plan to have some quality time with them this weekend! Don't let the guilt for not doing something important keep you from doing it now!
