Need a Push?

 

Need a push? Those words can apply to a child on a swing, a teen at the top of a ski slope, a clueless adult walking beside a pool, a car stalled in the road, or for anyone who grew-up in the church - it could mean the church bus broke down on the way home from summer camp.  Synonyms for "push" are: shove, propel, ram, bump, prod, poke, nudge, impact, etc. The idea is to get something moving again.  

The word "push" can also mean to encourage someone to improve or move beyond mediocrity. It can mean to help someone over a hurdle. In one sense, we can help "push" people past their fears.  My kids usually needed me to "push" them to try new things. I would "push" them to go on roller coasters, to go down tall water slides, etc. Once they tried it, they loved it and wanted to do it again and again. In a spiritual sense, we all need a little push to help us keep or regain our momentum.  

January is the start of a new year, and it provides a great time to "push" ourselves forward spiritually. Maybe you lost some spiritual momentum during COVID -- you don't attend church services as often... you stopped serving in a ministry... you got in the habit of staying in your PJ's and watching online... etc.  If there were good spiritual habits and disciplines that you engaged in prior to COVID and have not yet resumed them, now is a great time to "push" yourself to restart. As you start to gain momentum, look around to see if there is someone else you can help "push." Continue to find others who are stopped or stuck spiritually and "push" them forward in their faith.  

A car needs all cylinders fully functioning, if it is to run properly.  A team needs all of its players healthy and working together, if it wants to have a chance at winning. The Church is the same way -- we are a Body made-up of many parts. We need all of our parts in order to function properly and fulfill our God-given purpose. So, we need you to get unstuck! We need you to get off the sidelines and back in the game! We need you to get out of your PJ's and back in the pews! We need you to stop sitting and start serving! We need you to help us push forward in the mission God has assigned to His Church!

The Apostle Paul wrote about this in 1 Thess. 5:11 - "Encourage one another and build each other up."  The author of Hebrews said, "And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works." I read these passages as let's "push" each other toward the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. I'm planning to push you in 2022, and I hope you will push me. If we do this for each other, then together we can cross the finish line and hear the words, "Well done, My good and faithful servant."