One reason many people become weak and abandon the pursuit of their dreams is found in the statement of our Lord in Luke 14:28 (MSG) – “Is there anyone here who, planning to build a new house, doesn’t first sit downand figure the cost so you’ll know if you can complete it?”
Most of us do not complete what we start or don’t move ahead with the same high tempo with which we launch out because we did not take time to prepare. Many believers are fond of this. They relegate planning and preparation, thinking that to prepare and plan is an indication of lack of faith. Their watchword is “when I get to the bridge, I will learn/ know how to cross it”. But it’s like a soldier saying “when I get to the war front, I will learn what it takes to fight”. It doesn’t make sense.
General MacArthur, who was an American general and United Nations general, once said “the more you sweat in peace, the less you bleed in war.” Many of us don’t want to sweat in peace, and so we ‘bleed’ excessively in the face of challenges to the point where we have no strength to carry on. Every success has a price tag and before you even commence a journey, you should know the price and be prepared to settle it. Faith is not ‘failing to know the price’ but a conviction to pay the known price and cross the bridge when you encounter it. As a matter of fact, you should have crossed the bridge in your mind even before you encounter it.
A pastor learnt that his fellow friend was holding 3 services every Sunday; without figuring out the cost he forced his members to hold 3 services and insisted they must all be present so the pews wouldn’t be empty. The church had to abandon this idea after months of wasting a lot of resources. A brother decided to start a company just because he had a clash with his former boss. Today, he always says that he should have taken some time to prepare.
Stop rushing into things because everyone is doing so. Don’t attempt to force yourself into the limelight. When someone proposes something nice, it is not a sign of weakness to say “let me think about it”. Great men and women value the time of preparation. It is the time they generate momentum for the task ahead. I like the way Abraham Lincoln puts it – “if I had eight hours to chop down a tree, I’d spend six hours sharpening my ax.”
– Tope Aladenusi
