The Worthwhile Things Take Effort
Anything worth seeking takes time. We all used to understand this, but with todays access to information, there is a massive temptation to skim. We only have time for the cliff notes, not the content. Have you found yourself like me, scrolling Youtube looking for an update on the news, but only clicking on videos under 5 minutes long? Or you get drawn in by articles that say “3-minute read”, vs. the usual torturous length of 10, maybe12 minutes? Have you opened an article and only read the headings? or worse, looked at the length and clicked back out before you even make an attempt?
It’s true, this may be because you are tight on time, but it may be more a product of comfort and laziness than anything else. You may not have time for important things because you wasted 30 minutes on your phone. Or the waste may not be because you were on your phone for 30 minutes, but because you skimmed 10 articles, rather than reading 1 article for 30 minutes.
All things worth pursuing, worth seeking after, take time, and also take effort. Chances are, you know of far more things than you really understand. Take for example this popular proverb:
“Trust in the LORD will all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make strait your paths.” (Proverbs 3:5-6) Consider these questions:
Do I lean on God? What ways do I follow my own understanding? How should I acknowledge Him? How does God make our paths strait? A real understanding takes more than 3 minutes In fact, the message of the proverbs is such that you only find treasure if you dig.
There are several other examples of this in the Bible:
The Apostle Paul, to young Timothy, and tells him to be a good soldier, a non-cheating athlete, and a hard working farmer. Then he says to Timothy, “Think of over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything (2 Tim. 2:7)
God will give understanding but Timothy you still need to press in, think, work hard.
Sometimes Paul is hard to understand, other times we just need to put the effort in
We see this in Mary, angels come to the shepherds and share amazing news, then the shepherds go to Bethlehem to share what they had heard and seen with everyone there, and Luke writes:
“And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart.” (Luke 2:18-19)
What understanding did Mary gain in the coming weeks and years because she meditated on these things? What added joy, peace & hope did she gain? How much did her praise of God increase? Or contrasted with Mary, What did the crowds miss by only being amazed, then moving on? What do we miss because we don’t want to give any effort? Or what of Christ have you missed out on because you quit when it felt hard?
Broadly this can apply anything worth pursuing; it will take more than 3 minutes. More specifically, apply this to your pursuit of knowing God. Listen to the words of Proverbs 2:1-5:
“My son, if you receive my words
and treasure up my commandments with you,
making your ear attentive to wisdom
and inclining your heart to understanding;
yes, if you call out for insight
and raise your voice for understanding,
if you seek it like silver
and search for it as for hidden treasures,
then you will understand the fear of the Lord
and find the knowledge of God.” (Proverbs 2:1-5)
Exhortation
Your exhortation is simply this: When your walk with God gets hard, work hard, it will bear fruit.
When your mind wanders in prayer, fight to keep your focus, don’t check out, don’t quit
And when the Bible seems distant or confusing, don’t go first to a commentary or article, but lean in, think, and pursue God.