By Have you ever lacked motivation to do something? Whether it was schoolwork, housework, or fulfilling one of your many obligations, I think we’ve all felt that dread and the I don’t want to do it-feeling rise up in us every once in a while.
And if we’re going to drop our super-spiritual facade and be really truly honest, I think we’ve all felt this in regards to reading the Bible, going to church, praying, or any other spiritual “obligation”.
Come on now; don’t lie!
I’ll be the first to admit my faults and say that I’ve been there. I’ve lacked motivation to get up in the morning in order to have enough time to spend time with God before work. I’ve lacked motivation to get off the couch and surrender my lazy morning in order to spend some time in His presence.
I have been guilty of letting my lack of motivation affect my relationship with God. Have you?
In Romans chapter 7 verse 15, Paul famously says, “I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate.”
Although he’s definitely talking about sinning, I think it sounds pretty similar to this situation too. We let our fleshly emotions and feelings override us, and we sacrifice doing what we know we should and do what our flesh wants instead.
So I suppose the question remains: how do we overcome this obstacle and do the things we are meant to do?
Although it seems so complex and hard to overcome, the solution is pretty simple: do it anyways.
I might have just lost some people there, but it really is that simple. I’m not here to impress you with grand ideas and solutions; I’m here to simply bring you the Word, and to bring it in simple terms.
My church’s theme and motto this year is “Simplify our faith”, and I’d like to take some steps to help you simplify your faith and make these “obligations” easier for you.
So the answer really is do it anyways.
In Mark 9, a man brought his son to Jesus for healing. The boy was said to have an evil spirit in him, and the father asked Jesus to cast it out “if You can”.
“If You can?” echoed Jesus. “All things are possible to him who believes!”
“Immediately the boy’s father cried out, “I do believe; help my unbelief!”
This conversation takes place in verses 23 and 24, and in the following verses Jesus casts the spirit out of the boy.
This, again, is a pretty well-known passage, and one that I personally love.
The father is clearly struggling with unbelief, but he wants to believe so badly that he tells Jesus (in essence), “I do believe. Most of me believes and I want to believe fully. I’m just struggling, so please help my unbelief.”
And from this utterance of the father and the actions of Jesus, his son was healed.
Jesus didn’t look at the father and say, “No, you don’t believe fully so I can’t do it.” He honored his belief and his desire to fully believe and He did what was asked.
Again, while this doesn’t typically apply to this topic, it still somewhat covers it.
I’ve heard people so many times say something like, “Well I just didn’t feel like reading my Bible/praying/worshiping/going to church today. So if I forced myself, it wouldn’t be worth anything because I didn’t want to do it. So I might as well not do it.”
But y’all, that’s so far from the truth!
Let’s use reading our Bible as an example. If you aren’t feeling motivated to do it, for whatever reason, you could say to God, “I’m not feeling motivated to spend time with you today, but I know that this is what I should be and need to be doing. So I’m going to do it anyway. I’m going to intentionally sacrifice my time and spend it with you. Help me to use this time wisely and let me walk away knowing more of you. Give me a desire to spend more time in Your Word.”
If we walk into these things with no motivation, but with the right heart, I believe 100 percent that God will honor that.
God will honor the sacrifice. In the Bible, it says that God looks at our hearts. He doesn’t just see our lack of motivation and hold it against us; He looks at our heart posture on the subject matter.
Now, this doesn’t mean that we can have the right intentions and do the wrong things. Not at all. I’m simply saying that even if we lack a desire, we can still do the things we are meant to.
So if you’ve been feeling discouraged or shamed by your lack of motivation or desire for any matter, I encourage you today to pick yourself up and do it anyways.
Slowly but surely, you’ll find yourself falling in love with that thing all over again. God will restore to you that desire, if only you do it with the right heart and continually ask God for that love again.
Whatever it is, do it anyways, and do it today. Don’t put it off! You’ve got this!
Maddisen Sauls is the smile and voice behind the Everyday Joy blog as well as the author of the Word of the Week posts and the editor of by leaps and bounds. Throughout her life, Maddisen has worked as a reporter for small town newspapers, a School Age and Preschool teacher, and has acquired her ministerial license.
An avid book reader and lover of the written word, Maddisen is passionate about using her favorite medium to reach the lost and the hurting, and to offer encouragement and hope to those struggling through life.
Following her battle with depression, Maddisen has made it her mission to help other people through this journey and to bring joy to the lives of the people around her.
You can find Maddisen on Instagram @maddisen.paige
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