Finding Motivation and the Temptation of Escapism

Last updated on: March 5, 2015 at 11:24 am by Monique Ocampo

Finding Motivation and the Temptation of Escapism 2015-03-05T11:24:55-05:00 Monique Ocampo

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Something I learned from teaching CCE last night is that when one kid acts like that very annoying squeaky wheel on the shopping cart, chances are that the problem isn’t you, it’s something else. Kids have this tendency to feel like the entire day gets ruined from one bad moment. Unfortunately, adults have this problem, too, myself included. Sometimes we have this tendency to carry over the problems from yesterday or last week, or even years ago that become a chip on our shoulder.

There’s this temptation to just get away from our problems for a little while or try to forget that the chip on our shoulder doesn’t exist. A little escapism now and then isn’t bad, per se, but there’s that temptation to stay in that little place of escapism or wishing that the fantasy we escape into was real. If there’s anything I learned from Season 6 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, it’s that when you go out of your way to deny your problems, they end up becoming worse.

When it comes to Lent, there comes a point where the motivation to keep our resolutions is just not there. There’s a reason that there’s this imagery of a desert during this time of year. Granted, the closest thing I ever got to the desert was living in San Bernardino Country for a few years, but everyone has periods of metaphorical deserts as well. (And yes, I’ve listened to that Hillsong United song.)

So when times get hard and you need to find motivation, what exactly do you do?

Take a step back, but don’t stay in that place of escapism. Meditate on this passage from Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 and remember that there is a time to take a break and get away from the stress and there’s a time to deal with your problems:

There is an appointed time for everything,
    and a time for every affair under the heavens.
A time to give birth, and a time to die;
    a time to plant, and a time to uproot the plant.
A time to kill, and a time to heal;
    a time to tear down, and a time to build.
A time to weep, and a time to laugh;
    a time to mourn, and a time to dance.
A time to scatter stones, and a time to gather them;
    a time to embrace, and a time to be far from embraces.
A time to seek, and a time to lose;
    a time to keep, and a time to cast away.
A time to rend, and a time to sew;
    a time to be silent, and a time to speak.
A time to love, and a time to hate;
    a time of war, and a time of peace.

Offer your problems in prayer: going back to what I said about offering it up. This is going to be happening a lot in Lent and in life.
Find something that motivates you to move forward. It can be a playlist, a quote that inspires you, or a picture of someone you love or admire. Or in my case, a little apology note from one of my kids:

From my Instagram. Reminds me why I love my kids.

It’ll take a while to find the motivation to press on, but as they say in Field of Dreams “If you build it, they will come.” Build up enough motivation and eventually, you’ll get that inspiration.

Previous Post

March 4, 2015

Maturity and Making Amends

Next Post

March 6, 2015 Firefly Month: The Fear and The Silence

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category A Night at the Movies Apologetics Asperger's Syndrome autism Being Catholic Books Buffy the Vampire Slayer Faith Fandoms Heart of Mary Women's Fellowship Interviews Lent Music Personal Life Poetry Prayer Radiance and Grace Reflections Relationships Religion Saints Seven Quick Takes Social Media Taylor Swift Television The Soapbox True Love Tuesday Uncategorized Women of Christ Wednesday writing Young Adult Issues

Select a Month February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz