Start...Stop...Start Again

Mark Twain always said the secret of "getting ahead" is to actually "get started". There are a lot of times in life where I want to be "ahead" of where I am, like saving for retirement - as long as I am started on the journey, I am much further ahead than when I first took consideration of the idea! For some of us it is the task of just getting started each and every day that gives us some of the greatest challenges. We have the hardest time even getting out of bed, let alone actually accomplishing anything! I am not a procrastinator, so when there is something that needs to be done, I usually think about it in terms of "that won't take too long" or "it best get done, or I will have worse things to deal with". Have you ever under-estimated the demands of the project at hand, or over-estimated the potential you had to actually complete it? If you are like me, you have started more than one thing which either could not be completed in the time frame you afforded yourself, or you became frustrated, over-extended and exhausted because the demands were just too great.

The works of his hands are faithful and just; all his precepts are trustworthy; they are established forever and ever, to be performed with faithfulness and uprightness.  He sent redemption to his people; he has commanded his covenant forever. Holy and awesome is his name! The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever! (Psalm 111:7-10 ERV)

The idea of "starting" is frightening to some, because they don't actually have confidence they will be able to finish anything. They have tried so many times to just "start", but within a short period of time, they find what they started has become difficult or just doesn't hold their interest any longer. This might be okay if we are speaking of a hobby here, but living with Jesus isn't a hobby. It is a lifetime of "starting" each day with him, taking one step at a time, and starting again, if need be! There is no shame in "starting again". We might think there is some negative attached to having to start again, but in truth, isn't that what the backspace and delete keys are designed for on our keyboards? The anticipation we will make mistakes or that something will just "not be right" is inherent in all we do - we are human and humans frequently need to start again.

Our electricity went out the other night in a windstorm. That isn't a big deal as long as it comes on again in pretty short order. Even when it is off for more than a few seconds, all the electronic devices in the house have to be "reset". The satellite dish must reconnect with the receiver box, microwave clock demands resetting, and the ceiling fans must be set to "on" again. Why? The interruption in power "messed them up". They don't function as they should again until they are all "reset" to do what they were designed to do. Some of the devices have this nifty batter backup feature, resulting in them just "coming back on" as though nothing had interrupted their reception of power. Life isn't always that simple, but as long as we are "powered" by a source that keeps us even when we aren't feeling all that "powered", we will motor on!

There are those who won't start something if they even think there is a remote possibility they won't finish it, or finish it well. It doesn't take long to realize this philosophy can greatly impact what we "take on" in life. Nothing ventured is nothing gained - I don't Benjamin Franklin really is credited as the original source of this quote, he is frequently given credit for this "version" of it. It comes from a much earlier quote by Chaucer who actually used the words of a French proverb to indicate: He who never undertook anything, never achieved anything. Much of what we accomplish in life isn't because we mastered it before we started it - we somehow mastered it along the way! It takes "getting started" to get us to move toward mastery - not the other way around. I think we get this mixed up in our heads and our hearts when it comes to things like prayer, study of the Word of God, and even relationships. We don't get started because we don't feel we know all that needs to be done, or that we will do the thing well. May I just say - venture out a little bit. If you fall, so what? Get back up - step out again - fall again. It is part of mastering whatever it is that is before you! Just sayin!

You got those basics down yet?

Ever trip over your own feet?  You are just walking along, oblivious to the world, and then all of a sudden, you find yourself sprawling forward, lunging out of control and looking like a complete fool!  When you attempt to reconstruct the event, you simply cannot see the "reason" you fell.  In essence, you accept the excuse of having tripped over your own feet.  My last fall was similar - just walking along, then in a moment's time, I found myself sprawled over the gravel, mortified to have fallen in the very front of the hospital while on a walk with a friend.  You have probably already heard this story if you follow the blog regularly, but my immediate response (and I mean IMMEDIATE) was to reach out for my friend's hand and return to a standing position as quickly as possible!  It wasn't so much because I wasn't feeling a little pain, or because I didn't like the warm feel of the rocks.  It was out of shame!  I was out in plain view, with who knows who watching my fall, and I was mortified!  I wonder if this is how we face our spiritual and emotional "falls", too?  We find ourselves just kind of oblivious to the events of the moment, then almost without notice, we find ourselves face down, sprawled in some pretty hard places, and mortified!  Shame enters in and all we want to to is "duck and cover".  What is often missing in those moments is the helping hand of a friend!  In fact, we often fall because we don't have the right balance of accountability friendships in our lives!

My question: What are God-worshipers like?  Your answer: Arrows aimed at God’s bull’s-eye.  They settle down in a promising place; their kids inherit a prosperous farm.  God-friendship is for God-worshipers; they are the ones he confides in.  If I keep my eyes on God, I won’t trip over my own feet.  (Psalm 25:12-15 MSG)

If you sometimes don't feel like an arrow aimed at God's bull's-eye, I totally understand!  There are definitely moments, sometimes days, when I just feel like I cannot get on track and I see myself wasting opportunities, drifting without a paddle, and kind of lost in the motions.  I have to ask the question: Who's going to be in your circle of influence this year?  If you are wise, you will include at least one person in whom you can confide, find wise counsel, and who will be there for you when you are sprawling out of control.  Yep, we want to get close to God in this new year, but we also need those who will challenge us to be closer to God, to not settle into the warmth of the rocky places, and to refuse to give into the shame of our falls.

I took a couple of semesters of archery in High School and got pretty good at hitting the target with ever-increasing accuracy.  Eventually my aim helped me to land more bull's-eyes and less of the other concentric circles on the target. Today, I am not sure I could hit the broad side of a barn!  It has been that long since I picked up a bow and arrow!  The principles are still the same, though.  You need a steady arm as you grip the bow, a slight rotation of the bow with your elbow out to avoid smacking your inner forearm with the string, and the ability to line the arrow up with precise accuracy.  I gave myself a whole lot of bruises on my inner forearm before I ever learned that "rotation" part! In fact, the stinging sensation reminded me each and every time of my need to "adjust" my grip.

Until I realized the slight rotation of my elbow actually prevented the string from attacking my forearm, I didn't realize the other benefits of this subtle maneuver.  I could only focus on not experiencing the same pain over and over again.  In reality, this subtle change in how I held the bow provided me more stability to aim and release the arrow with just a little more accuracy.  I focused on eliminating the pain - my coach focused on me finding stability with my shots.  I think this is what God has in mind when he gives us good friends who walk along with us in this journey of faith.  They help us see when our grip is wrong, our aim is amiss because of how we are holding onto things incorrectly, and what to do to correct it before it causes us so much pain we abandon it all together!

The slight rotation of wrist and elbow made all the difference in eliminating the "sting" of the bow and improved my ability to hit the target.  As I also learned to keep my thumb pointed directly at the target, I saw how much this also influenced where my arrow would land.  It was as I followed the "basics" offered by my instructor that I improved my stance, grip, release, and eventually my aim.  What I didn't realize, and this almost made me not want to pursue this sport at all, was the inability to hit the target for quite some time until I had pretty much mastered the basics.  We sometimes are willing to give up way too soon, aren't we?  We don't want to take the time to master the basics in this Christian walk and we find ourselves giving up just about the time we'd finally be able to hit the target with accuracy.  My first shots were haphazard, most falling way short of the target.  As I learned to pull the string to my cheek, hold the bow with precision, and of all things, control my breathing, my aim improved.  The basics made all the difference.

When we are put off by the failures, we often don't want to go back to the basics to see where we need to make adjustments, but this is exactly where we need to start - with the basics.  What my coach told me made all the difference - don't focus on the bull's-eye - focus on hitting the same spot on the target each and every time.  When you are able to do this, you then only need to make subtle adjustments of your arm up or down to find the bull's-eye.  It worked!  When I stopped doing the things which caused me pain, focused on the elemental stuff, and just consistently did as I was taught, I hit the mark every time.  It isn't the "mastery" we need to focus on, it is the "basics"!  Just sayin!