A friend of mine recently described the changes he had made with how he handles relationships, saying that in his past he would lean back and make people pursue him, but now he leans in and does the pursuing himself. Back to that quote in a moment.  

I am a man of action. That’s what I’m telling myself. It’s still a new state of mind for me. A different way of approaching things. But I’ve been concerned about my self-perceived lack of action to back up the declaration. In James, which is a great book for understanding how to be a man of action, it clearly states that faith without works is dead. I’ve read that before. My literal translation has been a bit off though.

Back to my friend’s quote. Leaning in. That is action in itself. I’ve been holding myself accountable for not having executed physical actions that back up my faith. Thinking the lack of such actions means I’m not making progress in my faith. But I have been leaning in. I have been in pursuit. I’ve been obedient in areas where I’ve long ignored the call of God. I’ve repaired my relationship with my wife. I’ve stepped out and made myself vulnerable, trusting that God would deliver. I’ve committed to this blog. I’ve been taking action. And eventually, that action will show itself in a more tangible outward way, but for the moment, it’s important I see the power of the progress I’ve made. I’m not getting it all right, all the time. But my batting average is waaaaaay up from just six months ago.

Our natural tendency as humans is to lean back instead of leaning in. The problem with that is we have no power when we’re leaning back. Strength comes from leaning in. If you are trying to move a heavy object, win a fist fight, advance against resistance, do you lean in or back? Leaning in is about motion, about action. It’s also about intention and investment. If you want to gauge whether someone is truly interested and in the conversation you are having, simply watch their body language. Are they leaning in toward you? If yes, they are invested. Are they leaning back? If yes, they are creating distance between you because they are disengaged. It’s a light switch. In is on. Back is off. In has power and intention. It’s a declaration of purpose. Back is distrust, reluctance, apathy and defeat. If we only lean back, we will never move forward.

Before you can act, you have to be activated. And to be activated, you have to make the conscious decision to lean in. To get off your heels and on your toes. I can tell you from experience, it makes a difference. It doesn’t make struggles go away. It doesn’t immediately change the world around you. But it does flip the switch, illuminate your surroundings and generate momentum toward the place you want to go.

Be aware of your internal posture. Are you leaning in or leaning back?