Gain or Maintain?

Have you ever tried riding a bicycle and just… coasting?

Not pedaling.

Not steering.

Just letting momentum do the work.

Yeah… how long did that last?

Without intention, we can’t even maintain progress—much less gain it.

And that’s not just true for bike rides and bathroom scales. It’s true for marriages, ministries, mindsets, and especially our walk with God.

Passivity is still a choice. We like to think that “doing nothing” is neutral, but it’s not. It always produces something. At first, it produces stagnation. Eventually, it produces damage.

Just look at a body of water. When there’s no movement, no tides, no oxygen, it doesn’t stay pristine. It becomes polluted. It starts to smell. Things begin to die.

The same is true in our lives.

A house that isn’t maintained eventually loses value and becomes uninhabitable.

A body that isn’t maintained eventually becomes unhealthy by default.

A spirit that isn’t maintained eventually becomes polluted by the toxins of this world.

Left to our own devices, our default setting is not excellence. It’s mediocrity. We drift toward what’s easy, not what’s eternal.

But when we tap into our heavenly DNA and lock eyes with our Father, everything changes. We are not stuck with default. We are empowered by divine design. We can overcome weakness and claim unfathomable family privilege.

In other words, we were not created to coast.

Here’s something sneaky but sobering: gains and losses happen the same way—through priority shifts.

When we choose priorities that move the needle toward growth, we gain.

When we choose priorities that move the needle toward comfort, distraction, or neglect, we lose.

Resolutions are a great jumpstart, but without maintenance and long-term commitment, they become well-intentioned but short-lived enthusiasm.

Let me make this personal for a moment.

After months of discipline and somewhat healthy choices, Thanksgiving rolled around and I had lost about twenty-five pounds. As the season continued, there were wins and there were give-ins, but I somehow lost three more pounds before Christmas. I was headed to Jacksonville to visit my son and eat local fare forbidden by health gurus, because Grinch cuisine is not my holiday style.

A few cheat days turned into weeks. I kept the goal loosely in mind, but I was not exactly in beast mode. When I finally dragged out my brutally honest digital scale, I was certain I had sabotaged everything.

But instead of huge gains, the numbers had mercifully remained stable.

Was I closer to my vision-board weight? No.

But I also hadn’t undone the work I had already done.

And oddly enough, I was at peace.

Why? Because I understood something important: results are proportionate to investment.

I didn’t gain because I didn’t completely quit.

I didn’t lose because I didn’t fully commit.

I had maintained.

Even the best landscapers know that lush lawns don’t happen by accident. Lawn care and gardening require ongoing effort. A proactive approach yields thriving growth. Neglect yields weeds.

Regression always occurs in the absence of activity. The practices of today determine the results of tomorrow.

With 2026 in the spotlight and a finite amount of energy to fulfill your God-given purpose, the question is simple:

Will you choose to gain…

or will you settle for maintaining?

Because coasting is not an option.

Hebrews 6:1 (NLT)

“So let us stop going over the basic teachings about Christ again and again. Let us go on instead and become mature in our understanding.”

Point to Ponder

Where in your life are you quietly coasting and calling it “contentment”?

Settle for shallow… or step into something stronger in 2026.

You were created for more.