It’s tempting to give up when we see the success of others and how far we are from this vision in our own lives. But this often misses the countless hours of practice they put in before achieving their success. And we must humbly and patiently put in our reps as well to move closer to the vision God has for our life.
To be sure, a toddler learns to walk by putting in his reps of standing, balancing, and those many wobbly initial steps before eventually mastering this skill. On the outside, it might seem like he learned to walk overnight. But this discounts his humble beginnings and the effort it took for him to learn.
And this holds true for us in the rest of our lives.
For instance, even in our natural area of gifting we must still put in the time needed to truly become excellent. Natural ability is not enough if we’re not also putting in our reps to steward our gift.
And certainly, we have to practice at those things that don’t come naturally. For example, we might have to put in the reps of tough conversations with our wife and kids, showing up when our tendency is to hold back, or surrendering when we generally like to micromanage and control.
Whatever it looks like, our effort might not be as smooth or graceful as the success stories we see. But they had to start somewhere before becoming successful, and so do we. And the only way to get from here to there is to consistently put in our reps.
It’s likely pride that holds us back when we simply want to arrive without submitting to the journey of becoming.
In the end, let the stories of success inspire you. But don’t forget you must put in your own reps to make this a reality in your story.
Photo by Anastase Maragos on Unsplash
