Why I Almost Didn’t Write This Week
What Showing Up When You Don’t Want To Actually Reveals
A friend sent me an article this weekend.
Perfect timing. Because I was sitting here not wanting to write.
The article was about productivity, but one line stopped me: What’s the one thing that would make today a win?
I knew the answer immediately. Writing this post.
And I’d been avoiding it all week.
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The Resistance
Last week I wrote about facing giants. About stepping into something that feels way beyond you because God placed it in front of you.
This week? I’m realizing that sometimes the giant isn’t some big opportunity. Sometimes it’s just sitting down to do the thing you committed to do when you really don’t feel like it.
For the first time in six months, I sat down to write and thought: Does it really matter if I skip one week?
I could make excuses. I’m busy. People will understand. And one week turns into two. Two turns into three. Before you know it, you’ve quit without deciding to quit.
But then my friend sends me this article. And the Lord does that. He speaks through the people He’s placed in your life. I’m grateful for friends who won’t let me coast.
So I had to ask: Why am I avoiding this?
Motion vs. Action
The article talked about the difference between motion and action.
Motion is planning. Outlining. Thinking about doing the thing.
Action is actually doing it.
I’d been in motion all week. Thinking about writing. Planning what I might write about. Opening my laptop and staring at it. But I hadn’t actually written.
And here’s what the article said that got me: “The reason we stay stuck in motion is because it protects us. It gives us this feeling of pseudo-productivity that’s way more comfortable than risking failure.”
That’s why I didn’t want to write. Because when you put something out there, people have opinions. You’re not in control of what happens after you hit publish. It’s vulnerable.
It’s easier to stay in motion than to take action and risk it not being good enough.
What Real Friendship Looks Like
I was in one of my friends’ backyards this weekend picking up one of my boys. We started talking about our kids and friendship, and I told him what I tell my kids all the time: “My hope is that you’re the kind of friend who makes the people around you better. That parents actually want their kids hanging out with you more because it lifts them up.”
I’ve had this conversation with my kids and their friends multiple times. Because if you’re not making each other better, you shouldn’t be friends. That’s what real friendship does.
My friend agreed, and he shared a few things with me, my takeaway being… Life’s too short for surface-level friendships. The kind that can’t handle hard conversations. Real friendship has ups and downs, but you keep showing up.
And I told him something that I’d been thinking about. Earlier that week, I’d told Ericha: “I know I’m a pain in the butt. I know I can be difficult. But I appreciate that you keep showing up. Even when it’s hard. Even when I’m struggling and making it harder than it needs to be.”
That’s what real love looks like. Not the Instagram version. The everyday version. The “I’m going to choose to be here even when it’s not fun” version.
Because here’s what happens when people keep showing up: Things come into the light. You face things you’ve been avoiding or didn’t even know you needed to work on. The Lord uses marriage, family, true friendship to bring our shizz to the surface.
And when you don’t create distance or layers of protection to stay comfortable, when you keep showing up even when it’s hard, that’s when depth happens. That’s when real transformation happens.
But most people never experience that depth. Because it’s easier to keep things surface-level. Easier to avoid the hard conversations. Easier to create distance when things get uncomfortable. I’ve definitely been guilty of this plenty of times.
We miss out on so much of what God has for us because we’re afraid.
Why I Write
I’ve never been a social media person. My comfort zone is behind the scenes. So why did I start writing?
Because I felt like the Lord was asking me to.
And here’s what I’ve learned: The posts are being read at a higher rate than I ever imagined. And Lord willing, He’s bringing about some good in others’ lives through it.
But first and foremost? He’s using the weekly writing to draw me closer to Him.
That’s the win. Not just the number of subscribers or all the likes and shares. The fact that it’s pushing me to reflect in ways I never have before. It’s forcing me outside my comfort zone every single week. And that’s forming me.
The Lord speaks through the people He’s placed in my life. Friends who challenge me, Ericha who keeps showing up, my kids who help me to practice what I preach. And He’s also speaking through the discipline of writing itself. Through the discomfort of hitting publish when I’m not sure it’s good enough.
Done Is Better Than Perfect
The article had another line: “Done is better than perfect because perfect never gets done.”
He used this metaphor about turning on a tap that hasn’t been used in a while. The first water that comes out is dirty. You have to let it run before the clean water flows. You can’t skip to the good water.
That’s what this has been. The first posts were rough. They took forever. I wasn’t sure they were good enough. But I published anyway. And somewhere along the way, the water started running clearer.
But you can’t get to the clear water without the dirty water first.
So when I sat down this week and didn’t want to write, I had to remember: This isn’t about me being good enough. It’s about showing up and trusting that whatever good comes from it is from the Lord, not my doing.
If He can multiply a few fish and loaves and feed thousands, He can work with whatever little I’m able to offer if He chooses to do so.
What This Means for You
You’ve got something the Lord is asking you to do.
Maybe it’s writing. Maybe it’s having a hard conversation. Maybe it’s showing up for someone even when it’s uncomfortable. Maybe it’s stepping out of your comfort zone in a way that terrifies you.
And you’re probably avoiding it. Because it’s easier to stay in motion than to take action. Easier to plan and think about it than to actually do it and risk failure.
So ask yourself: What’s the one thing that would make today a win?
You know what it is.
Do that thing. Not because you feel like it. Because the Lord is asking you to.
The outcome isn’t yours to control. But the showing up? That’s yours.
Show up when it’s hard. Show up even when you’re not sure it matters. Show up for the people in your life who need you to. Show up and trust that He’ll multiply whatever you offer.
As I’ve shared many times before, the adventure of becoming a saint isn’t about being perfect. It’s about being willing to respond to God’s grace.
Willing to show up in the ordinary moments when you don’t feel like it. Willing to be the kind of friend, spouse, parent who keeps showing up even when it’s uncomfortable. Willing to do the hard thing first and trust God with the outcome.
So this week, I’m writing. Not because I feel like it. Because I committed to it. Because the Lord asked me to. And because a friend showed up for me and wouldn’t let me coast.
That’s what showing up looks like.
One uncomfortable, faithful step at a time.
“Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke them. Then he gave them to the disciples to distribute to the people.” — Luke 9:16
NEXT WEEK: “Why Christians Fast for Forty Days: What Lent Is (And What It Reveals)”
This post connects to Authentic Integration in the SAINT Method—learning that transformation happens when we show up in the ordinary moments, even when we don’t feel like it.
Thank you for your commitment & faithfulness to do what the Lord has called you to do Brandon! God continues to use these articles to encourage and push me out of my comfort zone to grow me in my spiritual walk and journey!