After several months of winter hibernation, I finally got back and my bike and did some cycling today. I didn’t go that far…nor did I go that fast. But I did go, and I tend to trust – now that my physical inertia has been somewhat overcome – that additional trips will follow.

I can’t help but think that a similar dynamic plays itself out in terms of spiritual inertia. We may entertain great thoughts about getting out and “going somewhere” for God: experimenting with a new discipline, starting a new ministry, turning from some ingrained sin. But as long as we’re content to bask in the comparative ease of our soul’s winter hibernation, we’re not likely to accomplish much. Only when we take a step (or perhaps a pedal) will we find that our joints begin to loosen, and our enthusiasm for the next step begins to grow.

My sermon for this Sunday starts a loose series of messages from 1 John, and this weeks text includes this helpful reminder: “If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). Good things happen when we walk…and maybe even when we ride! So here’s to getting off the couch and “going somewhere.” May God be our guide as we seek to journey in the light.