I had a conversation with our eldest son Ben today about his guitar practice. I’m always encouraging him about the importance of doing good practice. He’s talented, and I believe when God has gifted you with ability you should make the most of it. We were talking about him doing an extra 10 minutes of practice each day, and how that quickly adds up over a year. 10 minutes extra practice doesn’t sound much on a day to day basis, but when you multiply those extra 10 minutes over days, weeks and months, you discover how quickly the minutes add up to lots and lots of hours; sixty extra hours a year to be exact. Ben was a little surprised when he did the calculations, and strangely seemed to finally grasp the importance and significance of those extra minutes to his practice time. Especially when studies reveal that to be an expert in any field you just need to do 15,000 hours of good practice.
We can’t really escape the truth of the power of consistency and taking the time and effort to do the things we know we should do. Most so called “overnight success” stories, or those who seem to have broken through or have great faith and purpose in their lives will tell you their success, or breakthrough didn’t happen overnight. It was in the hours and hours spent studying, practicing, praying, believing, and doing the things they knew to do, hour after hour, day after day, month after month, and year after year that brought their strength, faith and “success”.
God encourages us in His word to remain steadfast, faithful and consistent. He promises when we take the time with Him; those 10, 20, 30 minutes or more each day in His presence and reading His word, will cause us to be like a tree planted beside streams of water, and everything we do will prosper (Psalm 1). It’s those minutes every day, which soon turns into hours each week, that God uses to impart wisdom, knowledge and strength, inspiring us to chase our dreams, and to fulfill our purpose.
Today, be encouraged that those 10, 20 and 30 minutes quickly accumulate. So make your minutes be ones you spend investing in relationships and pursuits that really matter; because the minutes add up, and we weren’t created to waste them on things we won’t even remember in five years time.
“Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom”. (Psalm 90:12)
“Make the most of every opportunity…Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do.” (Ephesians 5:16-17)
“Never walk away from wisdom – she guards your life; love her – she keeps her eye on you. Above all and before all, do this: get understanding!” (Proverbs 4:7)
Prayer: Lord help me to remember how important my time is, and to make the most of every opportunity, minute, hour and day I have been given. Especially remind me to take the time to read your word and to spend time with you, because that is how great faith is built and how my relationship with you grows. In Jesus name Amen