“God ideas don’t become reality without some blood, sweat, and tears. . . . But that’s the test of true love, isn’t it? If you love someone or something enough, the expenditure of energy isn’t seen as a chore. It’s privilege. It’s not something you have to do, it’s something you get to do. Love turns work into worship.”- Mark Batterson
As Mark Batterson continues Chapter 8 of Primal, he asserts his conviction that persistence = the greatest predictor of success in any endeavor. As a result, how hard you try consists of one factor in the equation. Because how long your try also factors in. Yet, Pastor Batterson observes, we tend to overestimate how much we’re able to accomplish in the short term. In contrast, we underestimate our capabilities over the long haul.
The reason? As Mark notes, energy is exponential. The harder and longer you work, the more it pays off. Hence, energy turns into synergy. In turn, that persistence pays off. No substitutes or shortcuts exist for success. So, don’t give up on your God ideas. Instead, try, try harder, and then try longer.
Furthermore, the author counsels, Christ followers need to take a why not approach rather than a why approach to life. A why not approach:
- dares to dream
- is bent toward action
- isn’t looking for excuses not to do something
In conclusion, Mark describes one of the great ironies and dangers of loving God with your mind. While you need to think and rethink, you cannot overthink. Therefore, there’s a fine line between rethinking and overthinking. Specifically, the author asserts, overanalysis always leads to spiritual paralysis. Mark explains:
“If you try to logically figure out the will of God, you’ll never take a step of faith. Why? Because the will of God isn’t logical. It’s theological. It adds God into the equation, and that’s why it doesn’t always add up on our human calculators. . . . In fact, God ideas often seem like bad ideas. But that is when you need to allow the Holy Spirit to override your intellect.”
Today’s question: What blood, sweat, and tears help you act on your God ideas? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “The most passionate people on the planet”