Psalm 16:7-8
I will praise the Lord, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me.
I have set the Lord always before me.
I heard someone on the radio say the other day that, in general, it take a human being 10,000 hours to become proficient at some skill or an expert in some field. I don’t know what kind of research lies behind that statement – but when I stopped to think about it – it sounded reasonable to me.
10,000 hours is roughly the equivalent of 3 hours a day, 300 days a year for a little over 10 years. I can point to two things in my life to which that I know for sure I have dedicated that much intentional effort; shooting a basketball and the knowledge of God through his Word.
Growing up, I loved sports – and by the time I was 13 I fell in love with basketball. Looking back, I think one of the things I liked best about basketball was that I could practice by myself. Just me, a ball and a hoop – I didn’t need anyone else. I could spend hours and hours shooting shot after shot – both improving my skills and imagining playing high school of college ball. It wasn’t until later – after college – that I fell in love with God and his word. I had been a Christian since age eight – and, as a Pastor’s kid, probably knew more about the Bible than most of my peers – but it was in my early 20’s that I began to learn and experience what the Psalm means by:
I will praise the Lord, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me.
I have set the Lord always before me.
David is talking about pursuing God. He’s talking about a passion to know God and his word; a passion to experience the joy and delight for which we were created.
Take a few moments to do a “10,000 hours” inventory of your life. In what kinds of activities, hobbies, pursuits or interests have you invested 10,000 hours (or at least a significant chunk of your life and energy)? Education? Proficiency in playing a musical instrument – or a sport? A hobby – like fishing, dancing or gardening? When you arrive at a short list of “10,000 hour pursuits” – you will have a snapshot of your life. Now ask yourself – where is God on my list of “passionate pursuits”?
Like my passion for shooting baskets – God is something – someONE – you can pursue on your own. You don’t necessarily need a coach or a team (although it certainly can help!) to pursue God. You need only a Bible, time and desire.
Ask God to rekindle your passion to know him; make prayer and his word one of your 10,000 hour pursuits. Commit yourself to being able to say, with David,
I have set the Lord always before me.
Brian Coffey
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1 comment:
How easy it is to say, "I commit my life to God", but how difficult it is for many of us to actually do it. According to the analogy of the "10,000 hours" inventory, I am severely lacking in my dedication of time to study the Word of God, and in dedicating more time to prayer. I believe I have the skills necessary to take Pastor Brian on a game of basketball, considerable skills for patient care at my job, and continue to get better at beating my kids at their own game (whichever it may be). These pursuits have more to do with pride than with what God has planned for me. I encourage anyone having the same problem of finding the motivation to find out what God's will is for their life, to start here. You will be pleasantly surprised to find that 10 minutes out of your busy day, could make all the difference in the world and get you started. God has been talking to you for a long time and perhaps now would be a good time to actually listen to what He is trying to tell you. Blessings
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