When motivation is not easy…

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

Galatians 6:9

When my family moved to Reno many years ago, my husband and I committed to each other to make Fridays an “adventure day”, a Friday Fun Day!  A day committed to spending quality time together, doing things we loved that fed our hearts and relationship.  Often, that would include hiking. 

 Sometimes, one of us lacked motivation on Friday mornings and suggested staying in. “Maybe we should just stay home” or “I’m not feeling it today”.  The other would encourage going out—whether hiking, driving backroads, or finding something fun. Almost without fail, we ended up having a great adventure…and, by the end of the day, we would both agree that it was an awesome day and “aren’t we glad that we went anyway”. 

 Sometimes, ministry can be like that too.  I care deeply for my community group family, and our weekly meetings together are a good time of discussion, fellowship, and spiritual growth.  However, by spring, it can be tough to be motivated to prepare for group meetings by editing group questions, cleaning house, and readying the physical set up of chairs and snacks; it can feel like too much.  Still, I persevere, knowing that during and after each meeting, God’s presence is real and clear, and I’m blessed sharing time with our little community group family.

 Yes, motivation can sometimes be hard in ministry, indeed, in life, yet we persist, knowing that God is bringing about good through actions.