The Motions
Posted by Geoffrey on June 8th, 2009Hey everyone!
This post is one that may pull you back a bit. This post is very in depth and.. a little lengthy. However, there are a lot of points I want to discuss regarding what I see and how I live on a daily basis. Enjoy 
Go ahead and play the song below as you read through this post. “The Motions” by Matthew West has become a very popular song in the contemporary world as we know it.
Matthew West states:
I know personally I live my life in a cycle, especially during the school year. Before school ended, my everyday life was: wake up, go to school, go to work at the day school, go somewhere each night, go home, go to bed… then it started all over again. Now that it’s summer I am a bit more free to do whatever I would like to do. For example, now I have free time Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings. And on Tuesdays and Thursdays I have a break for whatever I want to do.
I think that summer is the perfect time for us (especially students and teachers) to take a really good look into our lives.
Looking into my own personal life, I can tell you that I need to focus more on true worship. I have found myself lately realizing that I struggle a little to really worship God. It’s easier for me to worship Him when I am in a setting of church… but that’s different. Where I think I am failing ( and maybe you are too ) is outside of Sundays. On Wednesday I know that I will be struggling a little to really find a time to just worship and relax and pray.
I have a feeling I’m not alone though. We all get caught up in this busy world we live in. But don’t ever forget that at times we just need to stop and get our “knee mail” going. I encourage you to find a place this week… and EVERY week to just stop and pray. I have realized lately that it is not easy to do, but it can be done. And even if you only do this once this week, go for two next week and keep increasing your numbers. Slowly, but surely, these little exercises (that can take however long you want) will grow you closer and closer to God our Saviour.
There is a person in our own congregation that is tired and fed up with the motions of their everyday life. This person is going to dedicate their summer to really living out their lives for Jesus Christ and really taking up that cross. They will be spending most of their summer in a tent doing fasts and prayers and having true moments of worship. Now, this might not be the thing for you, but it is always an option. Even if you do not go so far as to dedicating every moment of your life to physically living out your life for Christ, such as this person is doing; you should take up your cross and stop living by what this world says is acceptable and by what God says is acceptable.
This summer the church will go on a camping trip, in which the youth group will be joining this year. Maybe your soul is longing to fill a void or hole that’s been just simply tearing you apart. Maybe you have never forgiven a person who heart you back in middle school… it’s time to let go and find your resolution. There will be more information coming about the trip, make sure to watch for it!
Maybe you’ve been going through the motions in a certain area of your life. I encourage you to make this the year to break away. Make your “Motions Resolution,” right here, on Matthew West’s site. You can do it anonymously. Just write down an area of your life that you plan to work on this year. Maybe you’ve been going through the motions in your marriage, your job, your quiet times. Maybe there’s someone you need to forgive, or need to ask forgiveness from. Don’t go through the motions one more day. Write it down, and then live it out. Every few months you will receive your “Motions Resolution” to remind you the commitment you made to make a change.
Maybe you would like to share something with someone. Always remember that New Life has a group of persons that are here to listen to you. There are NANC certified counselors that would love to just listen to you. If there is ever a time you need to talk to someone immediately, don’t ever be afraid to call the church office at 317.485.7472 and ask to talk to someone. The staff at New Life is here to listen and to talk… to show you Christ and help you live more fully for Him.. to have and share a deeper understand of Christ’s love.
If you would like to post your motions resolutions here, you can post it in the comments box below. Also, sign up for Matthew West’s “Motions Resolution” and receive it via email every once in a while to make sure you’re keeping on track. But don’t worry if you slip… everyone slips here and there. But the great news is that God gave us arms to lift us back up again.
God Bless,
Geoffrey H.
This really makes a person think about what they do every day with their life. Thanks for this blog
Hey, great post, really well written. You should blog more about this.
That is what I hope for in the summer, but my time keeps getting filled and fast. I had hoped to have a few lazy days and some stay at home and get work done days. But ever since March my time and energy is allocated other places. I barely even got to sleep in past eight. Just this weekend I nearly worked myself to death, but had to be up by 8:00am to get downtown. Along with the rest of the week and then to the daycare. Next week, Monday and Tuesday are packed and then the rest of the week has to be filled with all work and no play in order to get everything done before the rest of the summer is crazy. And it won’t slow down, not ever. Maybe after graduation next year, but that is unlikely. Stress, exhaustion, and sickness fill me all the time. Amen for Saturdays!
My “motions” may not be a set schedule, but instead a busy schedule of all work and little to no rest.
Long story short, I see what you are saying, Geoffrey. I found it really difficult to stop and talk to God. Worry that I’ll get behind or won’t get enough sleep are always my fears. But what I have forgotten to remember that is was Him who created me in the first place and that everything good and fun in my life comes to Him. I absolutely love my life and everything that I do outside of sin. And I know I have an even sunnier future ahead!
I know that God is my creator and Christ died for my sins. I can’t figure out how with a gift as large as that I could let it slip my mind so often. My desire is to live and love God and the rest of Creation, but it is really easy to get lost in what the world tells us what we have to do to survive.
Thank you for this blog Geoffrey, and at the daycare today when you said you thought it was great, I couldn’t even begin to imagine how amazing and impacting and truthful this is.
Thank you and God Bless!
Well thought out post Geoffrey. I’d like your input on how we can include this sort of thing in Sunday nights this summer as well as going forward. Also, how else can we support junior high and high school students during the week?
See, I wasn’t kidding when I said it was good… I’m glad we launched this blog for the media team. I stopped blogging this past winter and have actually been sort of re-looking to blog again. And now I have this perfect opportunity, so even if the other media team members don’t blog.. I will