It is the course of least resistance.

When people or organisations grow older, they snuggle into their comfort zone and spontaneously slide into maintenance mode.

They recount past battles and live in bygone victories, oblivious to current realities. They speak longingly of those “early years”, “the good ole times”.

Resting on laurels, most who have achieved in the past stop growing, learning or being effective in the present. This is the most natural and compelling temptation we all face.

This eventuality is observed in nature in the Second Law of Thermodynamics: “The entropy of the universe tends to the maximum.”

That means that the quality of matter or energy deteriorates gradually over time, resulting in randomness, chaos and disorganisation.

Life cycles

This applies to much of life. Every activity or organisation has a life cycle. Over time, the best human enterprises deteriorate, the noblest intentions get infected and the most vibrant movements get institutionalised. It’s imperceptible but inescapable.

My teacher, the late Dr Paul Hiebert, an anthropologist par excellence, observed that “over the generations, an institution normally grows and matures, and with maturation comes the problems of middle age – loss of vision and hardening of the categories”.

He outlines the gradual shift from the high cost of starting a new movement and camaraderie among members, to a maintenance mode in an increasingly impersonal environment.

Informal relationships give way to formally defined roles; operating procedures are put in place; and intimacy is replaced by official lines of accountability.

The pace of the slide may be glacial, but predictable.

On a personal level, over time we naturally move from self-giving to self-serving. Gradually, our personal needs become more pronounced and we become more conscious of how much more we deserve.

Loud voices in our heads insist: “My rights are being trampled upon!” as we moan over what more we should be getting.

We indiscernibly gravitate from “Amazing grace that saved a wretch like me” to “What about me? My needs are important too”.

We slide from “What can I do to change the world?” to “What do I need for a better life?”

Attitude of gratitude

These twirls in the downward spiral occur with each experience that impedes a growing ego. Every achievement in life and vocation tempts us to attribute the success to ourselves. We are deluded into thinking we are smart, invincible and indispensable.

Our enlarged egos get agitated when previously acceptable parameters start to get in our way. We start thinking we are entitled to more because we know more and we sacrifice more. Parameters are for lesser mortals. We deserve better.

Bitterness slithers in the back door of our souls. Co-labouring becomes impossible as our prerogatives take precedence.

Small wonder we are warned: “Watch out that no bitterness takes root among you. It causes deep trouble, hurting many in their spiritual lives.” (Hebrews 12:15 TLB)

Rick Warren, the founding pastor of Saddleback Church in California, counsels: “Bitterness never changes anything, but gratitude does. It’s the antidote to bitterness. Gratitude is the healthiest emotion you can possibly have.”

Basking in God’s grace

The way to grow in life and find fulfilment in vocation is to remain grateful. When we are thankful, we bask in and respond to the sunlight of God’s grace and faithfulness, making new ventures possible and relationships meaningful.

We start the journey to gratitude by counting our blessings. Even the best of us are beneficiaries.

Isaac Newton is well known to have remarked: “If I have seen further it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants.”

Those whose lives are significant acknowledge the gifts of nurture to them and are mindful to return the same gifts to others as expressions of gratitude.

God’s people are reminded to “praise the Lord … and forget not all His benefits”. (Psalm 103:2)

We are to remember: “Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” (1 Peter 2:10)

Being thankful hardwires into our consciousness that we are not the centre or masters of the universe. It puts us in our places as creatures totally dependent on Divine grace and generosity.

Only such a disposition can make personal growth possible and community meaningful.

Resolve to renew

To prevent institutional entropy, Hiebert asserts: “This can be done … by rituals of renewal in which members of the organisation together seek God’s guidance and revivals.

“Festivals, religious fairs and revival meetings have played powerful roles in reviving and reshaping churches around the world.”

Seeds of life are always present in a maturing organisation. Frequently, its advocates are on the margins of the institution.

Either they are young, or they did not go through the same qualifying hurdles.

If leaders are flexible and humble enough to listen to those with different experiences or training, new sensitivities will renew a maturing organisation.

There will always be resistance to renewal, especially when the status quo is challenged.

Revivals offend the dignity and sensibilities of a staid leadership. They are an unjustified expense on the budget. They are seen as a lot of hot air without substance.

But they are the means of renewal, especially of a spiritual nature.

It is costly to clean the clogged arteries of a matured organisation. Entropy is the course of least resistance. Renewal takes effort.

We all have a responsibility to stay on the cutting edge, both personally and organisationally.

Only when we are fresh is life invigorating and vocation meaningful.

To stay engaged we have to be alert and be consciously open to personal and corporate renewal, in order to resist the temptation to a spontaneous slide into deterioration.

This article is an excerpt from the book Ponderings En Route (Singapore, Eagles Communications, 2018) and is republished with permission. The book is available for purchase at www.eagles.org.sg.