My daughter Elizabeth and I attended an open house at the college she decided to attend. The dean spoke to the students and posed this riddle to them:
"Five frogs are sitting on a log. Four decide to jump off.
Question: How many are left?"
We looked at each other thinking - duh - that's pretty obvious, there's only one left - but here is what he said.
"The answer is five. The reason for that is because there is a difference between 'DECIDING' and DOING."
Wow. That really hit me and made me think. While he went on to relate this to incoming college students, that simple little riddle wouldn't leave my mind. There is so much truth to this that we can use as we begin a brand new year.
I love the beginning of January - the beginning of any month really. It's like getting a brand new, clean, crisp notebook (ok, I'm probably the only person you know who LOVES notebooks and can spend hours at Office Depot!). It's pristine and untouched and we have the opportunity to make it what we wish it to be. I know you will get lots of emails with great tips on how to set your goals for the year so I didn't want to give you one more of those.
I wanted to just focus on being a doer. Planning, goal setting and preparing are all necessary. However, we can just remain in that planning mode and never take a step of faith and begin to actually "do" it! We can listen to the best teaching, go to seminars and listen to terrific conference calls. There's so much information and so much we can learn and it's all good. However, if we never use that information it is just knowledge filed away. Jesus taught about the wise and foolish builders in Matthew 7:24-27 and the scripture that jumped out at me was verse 26. The Message translation says: "But if you just use my words in Bible studies and don't work them into your life, you are like a stupid carpenter who built his house on the sandy beach." (I don't know about you but I don't want to be a "stupid carpenter!")
This principle doesn't just apply to truth from the Bible - it applies to things you learn to improve your health, business, family or relationships as well.
Jesus expands on this in Luke 6:46-48 NIV: "Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say? I will show you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice. He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built."
So I am encouraging you to begin this fresh, new year with a new attitude. I want this to be your best year EVER in every area of your life. Make a quality decision to invest in educating yourself - listen to teaching, buy books and cds AND read them, listen, take notes, think deeply about what you learn. But just don't let it stop there.
Take the next step and DO IT. ACT ON WHAT YOU LEARN. BEGIN. Someone once said you don't have to do it perfectly, you just have to begin. I agree! I want to encourage you to step out in faith and give God something to anoint, something to bless! Just do the best you can - that's all He requires. Make this your healthiest year ever. There are so many resources to help you get started. But you must take the first step. Make it your most prosperous ever. Do you have a dream in your heart, an idea? Take a step of faith and make it reality. Don't be like the stupid carpenter! The only true failure lies in the failure to start. Eighty per cent of success is simply showing up. So show up! The decision is yours.
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