Day 25 (posted day 27)

Doing the 60/60 Experiment has me thinking about motivation. There's no question about the importance of motivation. A motivated team practices and plays at a different level than an unmotivated one. And motivation goes beyond the sports arena, it makes the difference for the student and the parent, the employee and the employer. So, I'm thinking about motivation. What is motivating me to do this experiment as a way of forming a stronger relationship with God?

The answer is: there are a number of motivators for me, all of them powerful yet some that I would call "lesser".

Here are my lesser motivations.

Guilt - Guilt is this sense of having done something wrong. This sense of failure that lingers. Sometimes I'm trying to connect to God on the hour so that at the end of the day I don't feel the weight of guilt.

Pain - Why is it that we seek God most desperately when we're in pain? Trying to understand pain and then have it go away pushes us toward God but when the pain goes away, all too often, our pursuit of God vanishes with it.

Pleasure - I enjoy so many things about the process of connecting to God. Often it happens in quietness - at this time of my life stillness is precious to me. When I connect to God my mind has the freedom to consider thoughts that go deeper than, "What is it that I need to finish before the day is over?" I treasure the chances I have to reflect. When a connection with God has taken place I experience His peace. It's better than coffee or ravioli - and that's saying something.

These are the lesser motivations of my heart. They "work". In other words, they cause me to do the thing (meet with God) that I want to do. But even as they "work", they do damage. When I act out of guilt I reinforce a distorted picture of God. When I meet with God to alleviate my pain or enhance my pleasure it's still about ME. I'm not going to discount the times I move toward God out of guilt or pain or pleasure - God, in his grace, meets me there and moves me to a better place. This better place is the place of love.

I'm convinced that love is the Highest Motivation. So as I continue in the 60/60 Experiment my goal for the next 30 days is to connect with God more and more often because I love Him.

Next week I'll write a bit about what Loving God looks like in real life. But before then I'd love to hear what motivates you and how you live out your love for God.

Pastor Steve