“If you don’t define when and where you will eat the frog, it will never happen. A dream without a deadline is called a wish. . . . The way you make time is by scheduling your priorities first, then letting things of lesser importance fall off your to-do list.”- Mark Batterson
Mark Batterson concludes Chapter 5 of Win the Day as he defines why eating the frog isn’t easy. Because eating the frog involves:
- figuring out your high leverage habits, then investing your time and talent in those habits
- recognizing and utilizing your unique gift to the world
Therefore, you must spend your time wisely. Because you can only spend time once. And saying yes to one thing means saying no to another. Hence, Mark offers three tricks to help you eat the frog:
- Curse the barren fig tree. Jesus cursed the barren fig tree because it failed to bear fruit. As you analyze your time, rid yourself of bad habits that waste time, talent, and treasure. Then identify the good habits you can’t afford not to do.
- Do the math. Don’t waste anyone’s time – including yours.
- Establish healthy boundaries. It’s awfully hard to take a day off when you think the world revolves around you. However, a weekly Sabbath reminds you that God keeps the planets in orbit without your help.
In conclusion, Pastor Batterson notes that Catholic priest and author Henri Nouwen once spent seven months in a Trappist monastery. Why? He’d done so much lecturing on prayer that he had no time to pray! So Nouwen asked himself a brave question:
“Is there a quiet stream underneath the fluctuating affirmations and rejections of my little world? Is there a still point where my life is anchored and from which I can reach out with hope and courage and confidence?”
Today’s question: Do you agree with Pastor Batterson’s assertion that a dream without a deadline is called a wish? Please share.
Coming Monday: the April Short Meditation, “Desirable difficulty – an oxymoron?”
Tomorrow’s blog: “Where our grit meets God’s grace”
