Stir Oneself

 

When my husband and I first got married and began having kids, we really enjoyed hosting people. Even though we were in our early 20s, living in a small apartment with limited finances, I learned to be creative. Those early years taught me a lot about cooking, baking, hosting, and how to stretch our budget. We genuinely enjoyed making people feel welcome and at home.

As we grew older, however, we became busier. Our careers progressed, and our growing children began to take up more of our time. The demands of busy workweeks caused the fun and joy of hosting to fade away. We started to look forward to the weekends just to catch up on rest and relax, often doing very little. I realized that the longer I let this continue, the more unlikely and difficult it would become to host again.

My husband and I decided to reminisce about the last time we hosted some old friends. Despite our tendency to avoid hosting, we made every effort to find time in our busy schedules to invite them over. In the end, we always rediscovered the rewarding feeling of spending time in good company and making them feel at home.

I discovered a phrase in the dictionary that perfectly describes our efforts: "stir oneself." To "stir oneself" means to make an effort to engage in something you haven't done in a long time, even if you feel lazy or stuck after neglecting that activity for a while.

Isaiah uses this exact phrase when he cries out to God about the desperate state of His people: "There is no one who calls on Your name; no one stirs himself up to take hold of You." (Isaiah 64:7)

I am convinced that Isaiah also affirms the existence of that growing form of resistance that arises when people neglect to pursue God. The longer they avoid seeking the Lord, the harder it becomes to overcome the laziness and inertia that builds up. Simply put, the longer you neglect reading the word, engaging in prayer, and attending church, the harder it will be for you to do so later. I have discovered that a firm decision to push through that resistance is always followed by the rewarding feeling of spending time in the good company of the Lord.