Inertia--a Dominant Force

How often do you find that you just never quite get to the things that you most want to do? As 2008 draws to a close, what good intentions have remained just good intentions? Inertia is "the property of matter by which it retains its state of rest or its velocity along a straight line so long as it is not acted upon by an external force." Good intentions may seem like the "external force," but they are actually more the idea of the external force. The actual external force is a very different matter.

Our church has just finished a series about compassion entitled, "Talk is Cheap." The basic premise of the series was that talk about compassion--good intentions--is cheap. Compassionate action is all that really matters. Good intentions alone really do not make a difference. No one ever was fed or warmed or comforted by mere good intentions. Only when good intentions are translated into action do we impact others with goodness and kindness and the love of Jesus.

The tension between good intentions and taking action carries over to all of life. Negative inertia would keep us in a state of good intentions, because good intentions do not cost us anything or require any effort or move us away from the status quo. More and more I am realizing that the status quo is nothing more than a slow death. As someone once said, only dead fish float downstream. I am also realizing that the battle against negative inertia is the most crucial of all. Winning this battle will have an impact across all of the areas of life that I look at and feel the need to make progress--spiritually, physically, morally, mentally, relationally.

For me, the easiest place to see progress is in the physical (and regress also shows up pretty clearly on the scale and clothes that no longer fit). This area may be where winning or losing is easiest to see. It may also be the area that will spark overcoming in other areas (it has been before). This blog started with reflections on training for he Twin Cities marathon. Within the next few days I will be making the decision whether to tackle another marathon (Fargo in May). This one is perhaps harder because now I know what will be involved: the long runs in very cold weather; the soreness; the isolation; the people who think that such an endeavor is just plain nuts. But I also know the sense of victory that comes by winning each day's battle against inertia--that alone may make it all worthwhile.

Stay tuned ...