moh-men-tuhm

Momentum. Life's great when you have it, and frustrating when you don't.



Players on my hockey team, the Vancouver Canucks, are thinking a lot about momentum this week, I'm sure. After rising to a three-game lead over Chicago in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, they badly lost games four and five. Yes, they still lead the series 3-2, but every fan knows Chicago has a better chance of winning right now because of the undeniable energy of their momentum, acquired by scoring an unheard-of 12 goals in two games! (Don't get me wrong, I still believe!)


I have friends who are changing their lives, recovering from addictions and habits that have burdened their lives and relationships. Momentum is important for them too. There's something much more motivating about 30 or 60 days clean and sober than two or three.


Or how about heading to the gym? For the first time in my life, I have a gym membership, and momentum is crucial there too. From the simple act of getting out the door and down the road, to the physics of moving weights or a rowing machine, momentum makes all the difference. And if/when momentum is lost, it is not easy to get it back again. Did I mention we were on vacation this past week? Just a few days away, but today was my first day back to the gym in a week. Darn momentum.


Writing, yard work, housework, reading, riding a bike, home improvement projects - virtually everything we accomplish we do so with momentum behind us. Why do we have half-finished books on our nightstands? Or why do photo album scrapbooks remain unfinished? For some reason we lost that intangible currency called momentum.


What about spiritual momentum? It's transformational, yet easily lost. It's why I encourage people to maintain a daily habit of reading the Bible, and need to myself. I find that when I'm making time daily for a devotional life, it's relatively easy. But skip a day or two, and the lost momentum grinds it into a week or two. 


Psalm 1 illustrates the contrast of a person pressing on in their spiritual life, versus the one losing momentum. The psalmist writes,
  "Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked 
   or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers,
   but whose delight is in the law of the LORD, and who meditates on his law day and night.
   That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season
   and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers" (Psalm 1:1-3, NIV, emph. mine).

It's quite a picture. As one loses his delight in God's words, he slows first to a walk, then proceeds to a standstill, and finally takes a seat with "mockers", those who make light of righteous living. Instead having something to offer, like a productive tree, this person finds himself lost in the culture of apathy.

The challenge is keeping the momentum going. I'm learning it doesn't happen alone. Going to the gym with my son today helped me get moving. And I learn there that momentum is gained and maintained by keeping my workout achievable, and rejecting distraction.


The Canucks face the Blackhawks in game 6 tomorrow. Everyone wants to know how they will stop not just Chicago's shots, but their momentum, and then rebuild it it for themselves. It's "just hockey" I know, but I've been reminded again of the immeasurable value of momentum.