God's Truth to Encourage and
Enlighten Your Heart

Motivation

by Dawn Wilson

What does it take to stop you? What stops you dead in your tracks in your parenting, your job, or your ministry? When I ask myself that question, sometimes I (unfortunately) have to answer, "Not very much."

It's so easy to succumb to a pity-party mentality or slump down into a less-than-my-best lifestyle. But God wants me to continue climbing, continue growing, and continue excelling. And He wants you to be unstoppable, too. What is our motivation? The glory of God (I Corinthians 10:31).

This story* illustrates the power of motivation.

There was a young man who took a shortcut home late one night through the cemetery. And he fell into an open grave. He called, and he tried to climb out... to no avail. There was no one around to hear his cries or lend a hand. So he settled down for the night in a corner of the darkened grave to await morning. A little while later another person came the same route through the cemetery, taking the same shortcut home, and fell into the same grave, and started clawing and shouting and trying to get out, just as the first had done. Suddenly, the second fellow heard a voice out of the dark corner of the grave saying, "You can't get out of here."

But he did!

Ah, the power of motivation.

Antoine de Saint-Exupery once said, "If you want to build a ship, don't herd people together to collect wood, and don't assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea." We tend to think so small. As Christians, we need to focus on eternal things, search for ways to honor God, and encourage others to join us. By thinking big thoughts about God, we will better attempt great things for Him.

It's common knowledge that our character is revealed in what it takes to stop us – in what we allow to trip us up or prevent us from accomplishing our goals. Someone has also said, "Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going." Motivation is only the beginning. We have all the motivation we need from the Word of God - His sacrifice for our sins, His promises, His rewards, etc. - but we need to discipline our lives to accomplish more for His glory.

*Hodgin, Michael. 1001 Humorous Illustrations for Public Speaking, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Mich., 1994. pp. 234-235.