My boys had to make an instrument for their online music learning. One of them put hours of work into his, the other about 20 minutes, and the third – 2 minutes and that baby was done. He had a serious “don’t care” attitude about making a musical instrument. We made videos to send to their teacher to show the finished products. I giggle every time I watch him play his straw/pipe instrument in this video. His “I could care less” attitude isn’t hard to pick up on.
Give a hand raise – how many of you have reached the “I could care less” stage? How many are ready to quit this, whatever this is.
What do you feel like quitting?
Maybe you are sick of social distancing. Maybe you are done with giving up eating out or going to your gym or going anywhere except Walmart.
Maybe you are done with uncertainty in your job or with struggling to help your child learn 6th grade math without the actual math teacher present. Maybe you are done with the people in your house or the media on your television.
Maybe you are ready to give up fighting your ED when so many other issues seem more pressing. Maybe you are ready to throw in the towel on trying to be productive and positive.
Let’s talk.
Don’t be a quitter. Don’t ever give up just because you can’t see the finish line. This is when you need to suck it up, put on your big girl underwear, and keep moving.
Quitting is not an option
Decide that you aren’t a quitter. Decide that a bad day doesn’t mean a bad life. A bad day doesn’t mean the end. It means stop, regroup, remember why you started, imagine the finish line, take a few deep breaths, and then pick up your foot and move.
So what if maybe today you will only get one step in. Tomorrow you might get in 92 steps. Maybe the day after that you’ll get your sprint on and take off like The Flash. Nobody said that you can’t have a bad day. You are allowed. We are all allowed. But the problem lies in wallowing in the bad.
Do not wallow in self pity or anger at what you can’t control. This is where God placed you right now. He equipped you for such a time as this. It might not feel like it, but guess what, feelings aren’t always fact. If we always gave in to the “I could care less,” we’d be sitting on the couch like a potato watching Netflix until the day we die.
Lucky for us we are more than mashed taters. Nobody has to say to us, don’t be a quitter. We have a bigger vision than our 36 inch TV. Be a couch potato for a 2 hour movie, and then say, “Lord, give me strength to stand even when I don’t feel like it.”
Momentum to the finish line
You might not know what your going to do once you stand, but guess what, inertia begins with the first step. Momentum happens with the first push. Movement creates more movement, and then more, and then more, and then more.
So, you stand. Even though you don’t feel like it.
You step forward. Even though you don’t feel like it.
You make a decision. Even though you don’t feel like it.
You might be sick of your situation, angry at your lot in life, frustrated by circumstances you can’t control. But look around at what you can control. What can you control in your next 5 minutes?
You can dress yourself instead of wearing pajamas all day.
You can feed yourself instead of listening to ED’s insane lies.
You can clean a bathroom, vacuum a dirty floor, fold the towels that have been in the wash basket for a week. You can read a book, do a crossword puzzle, go for a walk.
You can message a friend and say “Hello, how are you?” And then when your friend responds, you can say, “I’m okay, but life is hard today.” There! Do you see that right there? Do you see it? You’ve built a bridge, created an entryway to community. All because you decided to stand up instead of spending your life as a potato.
Don’t be a quitter
So whether COVID19 seems to have stolen your last positive thought or whether your eating disorder feels like too much weight to carry, decide to stand up. Don’t be a quitter before you’ve even begun. Build your momentum and start your inertia for action.
Baby steps are still steps, never forget that. Baby steps today can turn into hopscotch tomorrow.
Don’t throw in the towel. First you have to get that towel sweaty. Then you can toss it in the washing machine and do the laundry like you mean it. Wash, dry, fold, AND put it away.
Take that, Towel.
You don’t get to lay dirty and smelly in a corner. You get to rest clean and fresh in the cupboard, ready for round two tomorrow. And round three the next day. Then round four, five, six . . .
I’m praying for you. I’m praying for whatever fight seems insurmountable today. Stand up and find where you need to build a bridge and close a gap in order to create inertia forward motion.
The end may be out of sight today, but string all those days of movement together, and you’ll find yourself having a party at the finish line before you know it. Focus on the party and all the guests who will be there celebrating with you.
No movement; no party. Simple as that. (And no, my friend, Netflix will not compare to your finish line party.)
Stand up and go.
