If you follow social media to any degree, you can’t help but notice how many people post and repost various motivational sayings. I find this to be especially true in the running group I belong to on Facebook. There people are constantly posting sayings like, “If it doesn’t challenge you, it won’t change you” and “It does not matter how slowly you go, so long as you do not stop.” Today I read this one: “The more you run and the less you respond to negative people, the more peaceful your life will become.” I’m not even sure how to process that one!
Here are a few other quotes I read recently: “Opportunities don’t just happen, you create them.”; “It is never too late to be what you might have been.”; “Don’t focus on the pain, focus on the progress.” And then there’s the standard, “You can be anything you want to be!” People seem to love all the positivity and encouragement that comes from these sayings, especially when facing some sort of challenge. After all, sayings such as these can inspire us us to keep going, achieve, succeed.
I have found, however, although many of these sayings may contain some truth, at times they can be overstatements or even contain some falsehoods. For example, “You can be anything you want to be” is not exactly true. I could “want to be” an NBA star, but God didn’t give me the genes or abilities to play basketball at that level (or at any level, for that matter!). It’s easy to say, “Don’t focus on the pain, focus on the progress” to someone who is training for a marathon; it is a bit harder to say to your loved one who is lying on their deathbed in a nursing home. “It’s never too late to be what you might have been” sounds good. But we all know that sometimes it is too late; that’s why it’s so important to take hold of opportunities when they present themselves, especially when we are young.
All of this makes me think of the words of the Bible (quoted at one point by Jesus), “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” (Deuteronomy 8:3 – NIV) You see, although motivation sayings may at times help us, what we really need in order to live the kind of life we ought to live is not just another motivational saying, but the Word of God. As the psalmist wrote, “Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.” (Psalm 119:105) God’s Word the Bible, has been given to direct us, guide us, and even motivate and inspire us to be the kind of people God intends for us to be.
It’s ok to be inspired by your favorite motivational saying. There might be one or two that will help you complete your training, work harder at your business, or be a better parent. But, don’t forget that real truth and life is found in “every word that comes from the mouth of God.”
Have a great day!
- Pastor Tim Harris
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