Move!

I’m old, people. At least I feel old some days.

You know when I feel most old? When moving is hard.

Moving. Not moving from one home to another. Just moving. Moving my old, stiff body.

Newton codified the principle in the law of inertia: “An object at rest will stay at rest and an object in motion will stay in motion – unless acted upon by an unbalanced force.”

I’m a teacher on summer vacation, and the bulk of my body in any given moment is NOT in motion. And to make it move is more of a trial than it should be.

But I have made a discovery. Starting to move is hard. But that’s the hardest part. Once I’m up and going, it’s just not that bad.

Yes, that’s old news. That’s Newton’s law again – once in motion, it’s easier to stay in motion. The thing is, this is something we all need to be reminded of sometimes, don’t we?

After my father passed away, my uncle told me a story about him. My dad was the first in his family to go to college, and my uncle was the second. About a month into his first semester, Uncle Jim got a visit from his big brother, asking how things were going. Jim told him they were going awful. College was too hard – he was thinking about quitting and going home.

That’s when Dad put on his intimidating face that struck fear into the hearts of his own lazy university students years later (and occasionally his daughters). “It’s just like plowing a field!” he told his little brother. (Keep in mind that they grew up on a farm in western Kansas.) “You just do it. It doesn’t matter how hard it is! That’s of no consequence at all. The field needs to get plowed. So DO IT.”

We spend way too much time in our brains thinking about how hard a thing is. Cleaning my house . . . have you seen my house? Have you seen all my stuff? Do you know how hard it is to make myself put something away rather than just put it down? To put energy into a task that has gotten so out-of-proportion big that any small step I make seems completely useless? Yep, it’s ridiculously hard. But thinking about it doesn’t make it any easier. And it needs to be done. Do it.

And marriage . . . oh, my gosh. It’s so hard. It’s so hard to be unselfish. It’s so hard to put someone else first. It’s so hard to give and give when I don't feel like I'm getting anything back. Of course, it’s hard. But thinking about how hard it is just makes it harder. You’ve committed to love someone, so do it.

Newton’s other laws of motion might help us out a bit here. “The acceleration” -- or movement -- “of an object depends on the mass of the object and the amount of force applied.” I’m not going to comment on the mass of the object (you're welcome). But the kind of force we are applying here is not physical; it’s mental and emotional. It’s about how we’re thinking about it and how we feel about it. It’s a motivation issue. If the house was burning down, we’d have no problem moving our butts out the door because the motivation to save said butt is strong. We're quite capable of moving; we just don't wanna-a-a.

So it’s about increasing the "amount of force applied" -- that is, changing our thinking and our feeling. And I don’t have an easy answer for that because every situation requiring action on our part is different. But I do have one trick in my back pocket that I learned from a past principal (you can read more about that here). Don’t tell yourself you have to do it; remind yourself that you GET to do it.

I don’t have to empty the dishwasher – I GET to empty the dishwasher. I could be homeless with no dishwasher and no dishes to empty from it. I could be lying in my bed so sick I can't get up to do anything. I could be so swamped with activity that I literally don’t have a minute to spare to take care of my living space. Those are legitimate possibilities for my life – but they are not my reality, thank the Lord! I’m so happy I get to empty my dishwasher right now!

I get to plan my classes for next year (now in the summer while I have time instead of late at night during the school year)! I get to go to Zumba class (because I have money and time and a great class to go to nearby)! I get to run the meeting trying to resolve this conflict between these people (because they trust me with the task and reconciliation brings great joy)!

The privilege of being able to do the work we have to do – this is the “unbalanced force” Newton refers to in that first law of motion. That privilege, and the joy that results from the work getting accomplished, is a force greater than the pull of the sofa. We just have to remember so.

More than that, do you remember my last post about the yoke? We’re not doing any of this by ourselves. “Put on my yoke,” he tells us. “Work with me. Watch how I do it.” We have a very powerful and effective co-laborer walking beside us, sharing the weight.

So, clean your house. Work that marriage. No excuses, people. This is an honor and a privilege and a joy -- and deep down, you know it. Get up, and move!