day 495: How Much Effort? All You Got!

I learned early on, if you are going to do something, do it well and don't cut the corners or take shortcuts and don't above all else, not give it your all. There are few feelings like quitting or stopping when you know down deep inside that you haven't given it your all. The disappointment that comes afterward when the results align with the effort, and fall short, is impossible to reel back in and becomes something that we have to live with. When we don't give it our all, we squander an opportunity and we let ourselves and others down. After we do this a few times we start to become conditioned to a less than full effort and that is a very dangerous and slippery slope to stand upon. A friend has a son who has the innate talent to be a very good golfer. He was told throughout college that if he stuck with it, practiced, played and studied the game as if it was his job that he has the potential to turn professional. That is what he is doing. He has given himself a full calendar year to give it his all and at the end of the year if he has not broken through, then he will realign his efforts to another profession. What is most impressive about this is that within that year, there are no compromises and only a fully focused, all out effort. No day can be wasted and every hour that he has prescribed for practice must be maximized. It's impressive to see. His example makes me stop and evaluate how well I am doing at putting my efforts all out there. Peter tells us something similar when he writes of the gifts that God has given us. In 1 Peter 4:11 as he describes how we are supposed to use our gifts; "...Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then God will be given glory in everything through Jesus Christ. All glory and power belongs to Him forever and ever. Amen." There is no question, we are to give every bit of ourselves with an all-out effort. When do we do, then God's glory can be seen and delivered through our efforts. Anything less, and we come up short. Today, there is work on the docket that demands all we got. Call on God for His strength and power and then go all-out and give it all you got and watch for what God does next!

Reference: 1 Peter 4:11 (New Living Testament)