Nike

A logo and brand synonymous with one phrase. When you hear "Nike", you think "just do it", and vice-a-versa. Whether Nike conjures up images of Michael Jordan hitting a clutch shot or a generic jogger pushing through that last mile in the pouring rain, there is a common emphasis on perseverance, manning up, and just doing it (for lack of a better qualifier).

I started thinking randomly about this slogan because it could hardly be any more indicative of the lot of us in life. In fact, a more fitting slogan for us these days would be something more like "just wait for someone else to do it" or "just put if off until you HAVE to do it", etc. But it's because of the lack of sense of urgency that you hardly see initiative. This is part of the reason why people are lazy and don't go out of their way to welcome outsiders/newcomers at churches, this is why people don't maximize their academic performances, and ultimately, this is why we don't maximize ourselves for things bigger than ourselves - we're often too lazy and too selfish to "just do it".

I can say all this not just from observing, but from personal experience. The most common excuses are that we're lazy, unsuited, or that eventually, someone else will do it. But that attitude is exactly the reason why all those shortcomings mentioned above occur. Many of us are guilty of thinking that "if I don't do it, someone else will!", and at times it is true because of the very few people that are genuinely initiating and engaging at church, school, etc. But these guys can only cover so much ground, because unfortunately, this sort of lazy thinking is infectious and all of the sudden, not only are you thinking that someone else will do it, but so is everyone else, ending up in this mess we're trying to solve in the first place.

From personal experience, there are a few common threads in the common inability to "just do it", the first being, simply, you don't want to do it. The answer to this is, even though it's cliche and I hate the acronym, WWJD? There's no better example of how to live than Christ. Every word and action were purposeful, punctual and productive. He manned up, suited up, (fill in the blank)ed up and did what He had to do, including nothing short of... I don't know, reconciling the sinful world to God and like, saving the world? But the question I think we all need to take from Christ and wrestle with is that if He, as God, "just did it" for lowly sinful bunches like us, then why can't/shouldn't we "just do it" for one another? Aren't we called to be the salt and light of the earth and also to sharpen one another as iron sharpens iron?

Another reason from experience why people don't "just do it" is because they think "what's the point of doing it if no one notices/acknowledges it" and "it's dirty work anyways". I wrote at length about this in a past blog post (around the middle) but suffice it to say, this was what I struggled with the most often. I struggled very much with doing things without recognition, especially doing menial tasks/manual labor that no one else wanted to do. But again, scripture brought clarity on this issue in Matthew 6:3-4 and 6, when Jesus talks about how to pray, fast, do charity, etc. Yes, not everyone at all times will be aware or even appreciative of the things we're doing but we should take heart that God in heaven sees, acknowledges and rewards us for these things, as mentioned in the referenced verse in Matthew 6.

Finally, the last common excuse is that we're too content and basically, lazy to "just do it". Overcontentment, especially when it's self-centered, leads to increasing blindspots and often, a hard fall back into reality/sin. I think we can all agree on that point. As for laziness, just see what scripture says about it in proverbs ALONE (Proverbs 13:4, 21:25, 19:15, etc).

The alarming trend is that in all these "reasons" for not just doing it - reaching out, taking initiative, taking risks, CONTENDING FOR THE GOSPEL, it all seems to go back to the realization that more often than not, we're too self-centered and just plain apathetic. We're too comfortable in our routines, cliques, etc and too stuck in our preconceptions and pride to "just do it". But we shouldn't be. The gospel isn't complicated, and in fact, it couldn't be any clearer than it already is. The truth is, we have no excuse for ourselves. We're playing around with living/contending/preaching the gospel like it's hot potato and we're just tossing it around hoping someone else will catch and run with it because we're too lazy/scared to. Things need to change.