Quick! Answer this question: four frogs are sitting on a lily pad. One decides to hop in the pond. How many frogs are left?
I hope you didn’t say three.
The real answer is four because deciding to do something and doing it are two entirely different things.
You’re probably all laughing now, because you realize how true this is of human nature (and maybe frog nature too, I don’t know) and you’ve probably seen it in your own life. I know I have. I’ve “decided” to do things, and then put them off and never acted on them, or acted on them much later.
Our decisions and actions apply to a lot of things, including work, fitness, relationships, learning, and (of course I will say) writing. So today I want to talk about two things: inspiration and motivation.
These two words are similar, and sometimes used interchangeably, but there is some distinction. One way to think about it is that inspiration is what makes us decide; motivation is what makes us act.
Both are equally important, but inspiration must come first, and inspiration is often much easier.
I looked up official definitions, and according to Merriam-Webster to inspire is “to spur on; to exert an animating, enlivening, or exalting influence; the action or power of moving the intellect or emotions; the act of influencing or suggesting opinions.”
Inspiration is what gives us a desire or dream to do something. It’s that seemingly magical idea of being really fit or strong, of learning how to paint, or of publishing a book. Inspiration doesn’t have to be realistic or really connected to our reality at all. It’s just something that makes us go “Wow, wouldn’t that be cool?” For our frog joke at the beginning, it’s that little frog seeing the beautiful ripples in the water and thinking, “Wouldn’t it be fun to swim in this pond all by myself before the other frogs jump in?”
We can be inspired by almost anything. A speech, encouraging word, a book, movie, or piece of art, something in nature, a delicious meal, or someone else’s example. Inspiration draws on the creative and imaginative part of our brain and makes us want to do or be something. So in a way, we decide to do it.
Motivation is different. It’s “something (such as a need or desire) that causes a person to act.” (Merriam-Webster) Motivation is what makes you get out of bed when the alarm goes off. Motivation is what makes the little frog jump.
Motivation and inspiration are often connected and may sometimes be the same thing. But inspiration is what sparks that initial idea and motivation is the continuing desire that takes willpower and follow-through.
Inspiration, motivation, decisions, and actions, are important for everyone to consider. However, as Christians, we can look at these in unique ways.
Because inspiration is just what spurs an idea or decision, it’s really not much different for Christians or non Christians. (We do talk about the “inspired word of God” or being “inspired by the Holy Spirit” but that is different than what I am talking about here and outside of the scope of this post).
Christians and non Christians alike find inspiration in God’s creation and the people He has put in our lives. Every good thing is from God and ultimately every dream, hope, and idea comes from Him!
Of course, if something bad inspires us to do likewise, or something good inspires us to do something that goes against God’s word, we should know better than that. We usually call this “temptation” and not inspiration. If we think about it we can usually tell the difference. Though Satan often disguises himself as an angel of light, we will eventually realize whether what we are doing is right or not, and we can continue to pray seeking God for wisdom and guidance.
When I think about what the Bible says on inspiration, I think of a couple verses:
“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” (Philippians 4:8, ESV, emphasis added)
“And let us consider how to stir one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” (Hebrews 10:24-25, ESV, emphasis added.)
God tells us to think about honorable good things and encourage one another to do right. These are forms of inspiration.
Motivation is where there is a big difference between Christians and non Christians. If you are not a believer in Christ, your motivation can only come from you, even if you really are a wonderful person who wants to help others. If you are a Christian, your motivation should come from God.
As humans, our purpose is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever, and our commandments are to love God and love others. So these should be our main motivators for everything. That may not seem like it is possible, but it is! In fact, it is something we are commanded to do. 1 Corinthians 10:31 says, “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”
This doesn’t mean we have to say “for your glory” before we do anything, or that we must constantly be stuck on the significance of every event and decision we make. Rather, this is our motivator and ultimate purpose for anything and everything!
We should be motivated to eat healthy because God has made our bodies so we should take good care of them. We should be motivated to do our jobs well because God has blessed us with them, and our attitudes show the world what it means to be a Christian. We should be motivated to learn and continue expanding our minds because God has created so many wonderful things to discover, and the more we know, the more we know about Him!
Even the little frog can be motivated because it can enjoy the pond God made beautiful, and it can enjoy that God gave it the ability to swim.
We do not always feel inspired. We do not always feel motivated. We do not always even feel like we are making decisions or acting on what we have decided.
However, what we feel isn’t always what is true. We make thousands of decisions and thousands of actions every day. We come up with thoughts and ideas without realizing it. So my question for you is where is your inspiration coming from? What is motivating you?
We all know the right answer, but what is our real answer? How are we going to move forward today?