Sitting on my Grandad's tractor half a century ago 

Overcome Inertia

The other day, while listening to a sermon, it dawned on me that my life is all about overcoming inertia. I have had a pretty easy life. I have not faced crisis after crisis; my nights are not plagued by fears of what might happen tomorrow. Instead, I have had a happy life. But when life is placid there is little movement. Gravity pulls me down; I must resist it to go forward. Traditions lead to an unexamined status quo; I must question them and discard them when they impede progress. Personal habits become more comfortable than doing what is right; I must develop new habits which lead me towards righteousness. This is all work, of course.

Then again, no one becomes stronger without work. We have watched the Olympic Games, cheering on our favorites, then turning to a peanut butter sandwich and a crossword puzzle. We are willing for others to entertain us, others who have worked. When I stopped to look up at the tallest door in my house and realized that the high jumpers jump over that, I am astonished and I realize that they were willing to work in order to grow strong. What work do I do to grow strong?

Proverbs 6:6-11 (from the Hebrew Bible) commends the ant for working hard without a taskmaster and concludes "A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest--and poverty will come upon you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man."

Do what you can do to the best of your ability; learn to do new things by paying the price of exercise; overcome inertia and live.