Do Hard Things
[The following is an excerpt from the upcoming FMU Success Prep Study Guide, TOP10 Marriage Tips For Smart Singles: Part 1]
I don’t know if Zac Sunderland ever went to one of Alex and Brett Harris’ Rebelution seminars or read their book, Do Hard Things, but on June 14, 2008, at 16 years of age, he determined to do something formidably hard. That’s when he embarked on a 28,000 mile/13 month solo-sailing trip around the globe in a 36-foot boat.
By the time you’re reading this, his record (of becoming the youngest individual to sail around the world) may have already been beaten by another younger sailor that set out shortly after Zac, but in a faster vessel. It couldn’t be that hard to beat Zac’s time, seeing as how, sailing barely 70 miles a day, he maintained an average cruising speed of less than 3 MPH!!
Zac good-naturedly said the other boy’s boat was built for speed, but his was built for adventure. Whether you would consider 13 months at sea adventure or torture, everyone could probably agree it was a very hard thing!
But do you know what is one of the hardest things you can do? Think.
No – I’m not asking you to think about what the answer might be. “Thinking” is the answer! Thinking is one of the hardest things you can do. Have you ever thought about it? (Pun intended.) Oftentimes doing things is hard, but many a person has attempted something difficult without really thinking about it ahead of time.
I have. And then I think, “What was I thinking?!” (Of course, that’s an ironic question to ask in those circumstances.)
In this lesson I want to encourage you to grow in a special kind of thinking the Bible calls discernment. The KJV dictionary defines discernment as follows: to examine, prove or test; scrutinize.
I realize that in light of preparing for marriage, this doesn’t sound very sexy or romantic, but here’s the deal: if you are not very discerning in dating and courtship, you are flirting with far more than you realize. Follow this train of logic (all aboard!):
• If you’re not very discerning you will not make very good decisions.
• Poor decisions hurt yourself and damage relationships.
• The more important the decisions, the more critical the need for discernment.
• The more significant the relationship, the more devastating the impact of poor discernment.
[Is discernment a problem for you? TOP10 Marriage Tips For Smart Singles: Part 1 will help you learn to make smarter decisions by discerning patterns of failure, discerning the impact of consumption, and discerning the difference between the problem and the symptoms.]
MJ
I don’t know if Zac Sunderland ever went to one of Alex and Brett Harris’ Rebelution seminars or read their book, Do Hard Things, but on June 14, 2008, at 16 years of age, he determined to do something formidably hard. That’s when he embarked on a 28,000 mile/13 month solo-sailing trip around the globe in a 36-foot boat.
By the time you’re reading this, his record (of becoming the youngest individual to sail around the world) may have already been beaten by another younger sailor that set out shortly after Zac, but in a faster vessel. It couldn’t be that hard to beat Zac’s time, seeing as how, sailing barely 70 miles a day, he maintained an average cruising speed of less than 3 MPH!!
Zac good-naturedly said the other boy’s boat was built for speed, but his was built for adventure. Whether you would consider 13 months at sea adventure or torture, everyone could probably agree it was a very hard thing!
But do you know what is one of the hardest things you can do? Think.
No – I’m not asking you to think about what the answer might be. “Thinking” is the answer! Thinking is one of the hardest things you can do. Have you ever thought about it? (Pun intended.) Oftentimes doing things is hard, but many a person has attempted something difficult without really thinking about it ahead of time.
I have. And then I think, “What was I thinking?!” (Of course, that’s an ironic question to ask in those circumstances.)
In this lesson I want to encourage you to grow in a special kind of thinking the Bible calls discernment. The KJV dictionary defines discernment as follows: to examine, prove or test; scrutinize.
I realize that in light of preparing for marriage, this doesn’t sound very sexy or romantic, but here’s the deal: if you are not very discerning in dating and courtship, you are flirting with far more than you realize. Follow this train of logic (all aboard!):
• If you’re not very discerning you will not make very good decisions.
• Poor decisions hurt yourself and damage relationships.
• The more important the decisions, the more critical the need for discernment.
• The more significant the relationship, the more devastating the impact of poor discernment.
[Is discernment a problem for you? TOP10 Marriage Tips For Smart Singles: Part 1 will help you learn to make smarter decisions by discerning patterns of failure, discerning the impact of consumption, and discerning the difference between the problem and the symptoms.]
MJ
posted by Future Marriage University at
3:10 PM
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