Are you Coasting? How to Stop.

A couple weeks ago, our family went up to northern Minnesota for a family vacation. Like a six-hour drive.And I hope this doesn’t scare anyone, but a few times as I was driving with my lovely family in the back, I just kind of completely zoned out. About 10 or 15 minutes later I would come out of my coma, snap out of it, and think, “where in the world are we?"I promise I’m a great driver, but as a whole, isn’t this true of life? So often we’re just kind of coasting, zoning out, not really sure where we’re going, but things are good. We’re just busy. What are we busy with? I’m not sure. But all of the time we’re just busy.

So often we’re just kind of coasting, zoning out, not really sure where we’re going, but things are good.

So often, this is the story of my life. Coasting.Whether it’s with school, or with kids, or our relationships, and especially with work and our goals, it’s just so easy to go through a day, or a week, maybe a few months or a couple of years without noticing that we’re doing just that: coasting.Even when it comes to God it’s like, well yeah, I guess I believe in God. And maybe we even make it to church on Sunday’s, but we’re not really engaged. That church service on Sunday doesn’t really change anything about our lives during the rest of the week.

That church service on Sunday doesn’t really change anything about our lives during the rest of the week.

We’re just kind of living life, doing our thing.In these times of coasting, how do we wake ourselves up? What does it take for us to realize that we’ve been driving through life without knowing where we’re going? How do we stop coasting and start living? 

• Realize that you’re coasting.

Sometimes the first step toward changing something in your life is realizing that you’re doing it.Feel complacent in your job? Maybe you’re coasting. Not taking that next step to reach your goal? Maybe you’re coasting. Stopped growing in your relationship with Jesus or others? Maybe you’re coasting. 

• Pray for holy aha moments.

What is a holy aha moment? I just made it up. But seriously, it’s times where something becomes crystal clear.Ever have those moments? When out of nowhere something becomes clear and it’s like, why am I wasting my time and my life on this? I’m so busy with a bunch of stupid stuff and my priorities are all out of whack.When it comes to God, maybe it’s just saying: Lord, every day I need to get into your Word. Or Lord, if I was even half as passionate about you as I am about my job I can’t imagine what would happen. Or Lord, I want to trust you. With what? Everything.

Lord, I want to trust you. With what? Everything.

Lately for me personally, I’ve been having these holy a-ha moments where I find myself saying, Lord, I’ve heard about your love, but I want to fully experience it even more. And I want to truly live for you and you alone. I want to hunger for you, and your Word, and just being with you. Like I hunger for food. Like I need air to survive.I hope we’d realize when we’re coasting through life. And when we do, pray for these holy a-ha moments to happen.Because coasting? It’s not a good way to live. It’s not the way Jesus wants us to live.