Wordsday.
That’s what I’ve long considered calling this fourth day of the week here on the blog, along with purposing to explore a fresh, new, meaningful word each week. But, well, I never got started, did I?
And all this summer, where have I been? Not here on any post, not since May! I have good reasons excuses, but the real underlying problem is best expressed in the word I now present as my first weekly Wordsday Word:
INERTIA
in-er-tia 1 : a property of matter by which it remains at rest or in uniform motion in the same straight line unless acted upon by some external force … 2 : indisposition to motion, exertion, or change : INERTNESS
-Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, Eleventh Edition
Saturday the doorbell rang, just as I was about to grab a quick shower, then scoot out to pick up one of those nice barbequed chickens for dinner, along with a couple of refreshing salads and a carton of ice cream. That weekend dinner menu had been residing in my mind all day, because cooking’s less fun when the kitchen’s overheated and so am I. But instead of scooting to either the shower or away in the car, I scooted to the back door to see… a knock-me-over surprise! A good friend I haven’t seen in far too many months. We’d both been bogged down in our own to-do mires, and neither of us had gotten around even to calling or emailing. Until now. Until some external force acted upon her inertia. Never mind that the same thing hadn’t happened to mine, even though I’d thought of her repeatedly…
We hugged big, then talked long and well, moving from one strata of conversation to another, deeper and deeper, from the superficial, to the accounts of what was going on in our respective lives, to the deeper honest talk about how these happenings had affected our hearts and souls, and how and where God had “appeared” in the difficulties and wowed us by His obvious involvement.
There was no way I was going to shoo her out the door… I recalled that I had some emergency chicken pies in the freezer…
A couple hours later as we walked toward her car, Husband, who had shown up by now, asked her when she planned on retiring. A few years, she said.
“Just don’t retire from something,” I advised. “Retire to something.”
Husband mentioned the importance of keeping active always.
She heartily agreed. With a grin she shared a maxim she’d just heard to that effect:
“A body set in motion remains in motion. A body at rest… rests in peace.”
As I think back on all that, I see the inertia principle in action—or inaction—all through that afternoon—and through the months leading up to it. And I certainly see it in the dearth of words on this blog all summer.
There are all kinds of inertia: physical, mental, emotional, psychological, even spiritual.
But sometimes an external force acts upon that body, or mind, or heart, or soul, and gets it going again.
I knew I was in need of just such an external force, as August waned and September approached. If I didn’t get this blog started now, it would most likely just… rest in peace!
So I took it to God. I didn’t ask for Him specifically for the drive to get it going, but more for guidance as to whether I should bother. And God does provide.
In this case? Through examples. New posts suddenly appearing on other long-silent blogs refreshed my mind and stirred up my heart, and gave me a sense of connection. Realizing their great value for me gave me the hope that my own might do the same, if for only one person. And this post at soulPantry especially gave me a wonderful, friendly shove— “coincidentally” called “Prompt: To Move to Action.” Thanks, Kel!
***
Has inertia stalled your momentum in any area of your life lately? Has any external force given you a friendly push and gotten you going in a right direction again? What or who was it? If not, what eternal force do you think could nudge you?
*****
Sylvia- What a good word to describe what I have been feeling since my summer slowed down from 200mph to 50mph, as life transitioned from watching my nieces and nephews to them being back in school…I need outside prompts and deadlines to keep me moving…and the Holy Spirit is a kind and gentle prompter as well…one day I was lamenting over my lack of prayer and Bible reading. And I asked very directly which Bible should I read (since I have so many versions and types.) Immediately, as if the Spirit was waiting for me to ask, I sensed that I should dig out my Quiet Time Bible. And the next nudge was to read the Psalms…and then the answer was clear. Prayer is a response to God, the psalms give me words to pray when I don’t know what or how or why to pray. I’m sure there’s a blog post in here somewhere, but for now, just want to thank you for admitting that inertia is real, and that posting our words on our blogs matter! Love and peace and joy! Kel
Kel, I am rather stunned to see how much we have been on the same pilgrimage path lately. Before I read the comment area here I wanted to get the next post finalized and published, because of the epiphany that broke through to me, in the very process of writing it. And that was the important need of connection with God, with His Holy Spirit, for me to get going on, and continue, any really meaningful endeavor. Now I’m as charged as the new batteries I just put in my camera!
And the Psalms! Another “coincidence.” I have been spending more time in the Psalms lately–in at least the last year–than in any other part of scripture. Not just reading them, not exactly studying them, but *devouring* them, and *praying* them, usually simultaneously. I have literally wept my way through some, rejoiced greatly through others, just been still and comforted by the read-praying of others. And I also have thought I ought to blog something about this. Such a rich source of what I often want to say and can’t find so excellent a way of wording it!
Wow! What sweet fellowship! A happy “new year” to you!