Perseverance, Quicksand, and God ~ October 2021

 Consistent effort is cumulative. Even the turtle eventually gets to his destination. Even small consistent movement will bring one to a different place,  destination, or achievement . Even if we follow a seemingly thoughtless plan, one will ultimately arrive somewhere. Even in isolation, a person on their own has this opportunity, to choose, use the mind to determine the direction of one's thoughts- and the mind is powerful. 

Day 16 of 'Squatober'

Knowing we can harness that cumulative effort,  let's put direction into it.  Malcolm Gladwell, in his book, Outliers, refers to the idea of the' 10,000 hour rule.' Achieving an objective, learning a subject 'by heart', mastering a skill takes, no requires, no less than 10,000 hours of  applied time to achieve mastery, synthesis, automaticity.  This level requires dedication to even the mundane, boring task-- picture the Karate Kid, picking up the jacket over and over, or for an older generation, 'wax on- wax off.' (I found 'Outliers'  very auido friendly.) 

So we decide we'll accomplish something, we set a goal, short term and long term, process goals, but most importantly, we take the leap. We decide and narrow the focus on an area of expertise, skill, achievement. We get all the systems in place, learn new tricks, reset our  'mind set,' then WHAM! 

 'Quicksand' shows up- the kind of obstacle that feels insurmountable. We all have it. We all have our challenges that seem to come at the wrong time. We may have even spent time in therapy or life-coaching to work through this type of obstacle and  surely, this can't be 'the way' -- again! Didn't we already solve this problem?  Master this problem? Some habits, some heavily traveled  pathways are harder to let go of. We spent alot of time there, alot of time (10000 hour, maybe even aimlessly) developing a reaction to an obstacle, and once again,  affirming all the negative voices we may have heard telling us we can't do it- whatever it was or is we want to master/do/learn. 

How we   'show up,' makes all the difference.  If I show up with a mindset that is already apathetic, given to the 'whatever,' frame of mind, it's inevitable that the quicksand will suck me in, and I will drown in it. Suffocate is more accurate. Like the slough of despond,  which I picture to be more tar-like, holds our feet and thus traps us, starving us of what could be, what lies ahead- the endless possibilities. 

Is this it? A constant repetition of obstacles, facing obstacles,  checking boxes, accepting and creating stylized challenges, learning new things? I choose never to embellish Scripture to suit my lifestyle or perceptions. And at this point in history, we are past the impacts of Modernity, the modern Godless perception of life. We've moved directly into   Post-Modernism. But God is ever present. Jehovah God, The Great I AM. I stand, stretch, lunge, even squat,  -- knowing that while many popular challenges may be laced with our modern trappings, I believe God sees us renewing our place as the created being, with endless  possibilities. HE IS the God of endless  possibilities. Where we may see darkness and loss, HE is a way-maker, He's just   'rollin-up His sleeves again.' Toby Mac gets it right. Help is on the way. 'The Lord ain't failed me yet.' And HE is willing and longsuffering when we fail. 

I am convinced,  convicted,  that in the Greatest Commandment  , we are given a commission to use our minds and bodies, along with our our heart and soul, to His glory. His  Self-Evident Majesty determines His worthiness and His gracious longsuffering and love are our refuge when we fail.