This famous parable that Jesus used has a lot to teach us about our money if we let it. Below is the parable and a few of my thoughts about it…
Matthew 25:14-30
For it is just like a man about to go on a journey, who called his own slaves and entrusted his possessions to them. “To one he gave five talents, to another, two, and to another, one, each according to his own ability; and he went on his journey.
“Immediately the one who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and gained five more talents. “In the same manner the one who had received the two talents gained two more. “But he who received the one talent went away, and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.
“Now after a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. “The one who had received the five talents came up and brought five more talents, saying, ‘Master, you entrusted five talents to me. See, I have gained five more talents.’ “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’
“Also the one who had received the two talents came up and said, ‘Master, you entrusted two talents to me. See, I have gained two more talents.’ “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’
“And the one also who had received the one talent came up and said, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you scattered no seed. ‘And I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.’ “But his master answered and said to him, ‘You wicked, lazy slave, you knew that I reap where I did not sow and gather where I scattered no seed. ‘Then you ought to have put my money in the bank, and on my arrival I would have received my money back with interest. ‘Therefore take away the talent from him, and give it to the one who has the ten talents.’
“For to everyone who has, more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away. “Throw out the worthless slave into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Stewards are required to take risks
It is interesting to me how upset the master got with the steward who took no risks. The other two stewards did take risks and reaped the rewards. I often wonder why the parable didn’t contain a steward who lost some of the investment. But either way, I think we are led to believe that the primary frustration of the master was that the steward was lazy and didn’t even try.
He was called a, “wicked and lazy slave.” My take on this is that he was more frustrated with his laziness than his lack of production. The steward didn’t even put the talents in the bank to gain interest. The passage states that the master gave to each of them according to their ability. So, I think we can assume that the steward with one talent did have some ability, or else he wouldn’t have given him any.
If he did indeed have some ability to manage money, even with the smallest amount of ability he would have known that earning small interest at the bank is better than burying it!
I liken this to having a Vet watch your dog for the weekend and not feed it. Most everyone knows that you should feed a dog at least daily, but especially a vet. It is their profession - the thing they are skilled at doing and are entrusted to do.
So, the extreme amount of laziness this steward had to not at least put the talent in the bank, coupled with the fact that he let fear paralyze him from doing what he was expected to do infuriated the master.
The parable is speaking of money, but this can also be applied to the gifts and skills that God has entrusted us with. If I refuse to step out in a gift or skill that God has given me because I am afraid or lazy, I may be behaving the same way as the steward with one talent.
Luke 12:48
“…From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more.”
Don’t compare yourself to others
The master in the parable didn’t give each steward the same amount. They all started with different amounts, not much different than this game of life that we are all in. Some people start with a lot, some with a little. But we are all judged based on what we did with what we had, rather than what we ended up with.
The great thing about this is that our success is not based on what people may think about us. God knows what He gave us to work with and He will see what we do with it. So, it doesn’t matter whether other people think you are a success or a failure - God’s definition of success is often quite different than man’s.
The master gave them each “according to their ability.” He knew a bit about their faithfulness and how likely they were to increase their talents. Turns out he delegated wisely.
Our money is not our own
We enter into the world with nothing and we leave with nothing.
One of the first lessons that I learned a few years ago that really changed the way I thought about money was that none of it is mine. It is all God’s. I have the privilege and opportunity to be a steward of what He has given me.
Once I began looking at my money this way, it changed my whole financial outlook and helped me to be more focused on pleasing God with the money entrusted to me.
Even if we spent our lives and ignored our responsibility as stewards, we still can’t take any of it with us. We might as well try to better the lives of those around us and store up treasure in heaven rather than down here.
What did you learn from the parable of the talents?
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I recently received an email from a reader asking me about some prosperity verses. I decided to dig in and do a bit more thorough study about it. I noticed a couple things that I hadn’t before about Biblical prosperity.
The prosperity debate
I know this issue seems to be a hot topic for debate among Christians, so I am going to try to just present what I have found in the Word. We all have our opinions and the Bible says that we all only know in part, so none of use have it completely figured out. We never will. But, the Bible is the truth, so I prefer to lean on that rather than my own opinion.
Let me also say that the verses below may or may not be talking about financial prosperity. There are many ways that God can prosper us. If you are on your death-bed suffering from a terrible disease, you probably aren’t too concerned about financial prosperity.
However, there are scriptures to support that God wants to prosper us in all areas of our life. Our walk with Him, our relationships, our health, our finances and every other area of our lives. God doesn’t want to be confined to just a few areas of our lives, He wants to be involved in all of it. Every father wants to see his children prosper and succeed. How much more does our Father in heaven?
Okay, on to the the scriptures, I just shared my opinion like I said I wouldn’t 
.
Prosperity comes as a result of meditating and obeying on the Word
As I was studying this, this was the first common thread that I noticed.
Psalm 1:1-3
Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.
But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.
He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.
then again…
Joshua 1:8
Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.
and again…
1 Chronicles 22:13
Then you will prosper, if you are careful to observe the statutes and the ordinances which the LORD commanded Moses concerning Israel. Be strong and courageous, do not fear nor be dismayed.
Prosperity comes from seeking God
2 Chronicles 26:5
He continued to seek God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding through the vision of God; and as long as he sought the LORD, God prospered him.
and another…
2 Chronicles 31:21
Every work which he began in the service of the house of God in law and in commandment, seeking his God, he did with all his heart and prospered.
- side note, I think it is really interesting that this verse specifically mentions that he also did it with, “all of his heart.” There are quite a few proverbs that talk about the importance and necessity of working hard at everything you do.
And one of my favorite verses about seeking God…
Matthew 6:31-33
“Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’
“For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.
“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
Revelations about Biblical prosperity
These were just a couple of the patterns that I found in the Word about prosperity as I started to dig in. I know there is a lot more revelation to be gotten about the subject that I haven’t gotten yet. Anyone have any they want to share?
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If giving is better than receiving, why doesn’t it feel like it?
Jesus himself said that it is, “more blessed to give than to receive.” I don’t know about you, but when I have been strapped for cash and needed to buy someone a birthday gift - it didn’t FEEL like much of a blessing.
I hated the feeling of being torn with what to do with my money. I wanted to be a generous giver, but when the $20 in my wallet was being pulled in 4 different directions, it made it difficult to be exceedingly generous like I wanted to be.
I am not sure where I got the idea from, but we had a very basic budget at the time and decided to create an ING account specifically for gifts and giving. This account was to be the source of all of our birthday and Christmas presents and any other giving we did.
I thought it was a good idea until we started doing it. Then I realized that it was an absolute GREAT idea and wish we had started it earlier. It instantly added so much more fun to the giving process, because the money was just sitting there waiting to be spent on others. It wasn’t getting pulled in numerous directions like it was previously. It’s purpose had been clearly defined.
Christians are called to give
We have the opportunity to give into God’s kingdom. We have the privilege of being able to give to help people. It really is a privilege and an opportunity. God doesn’t need us. He has an endless supply of finances - He can get the money where it needs to be. But He allows us the chance to be used by Him in the process, knowing that WE will benefit from being used.
As we get a better understanding of this truth, it helps us break free from our own selfishness.
God really wants to bless us!! He set the system up that it is kind of counter-intuitive - we give away, and as a result we get more. As we give, it is given back to us in a greater measure. The Bible makes it clear that there will always be seedtime and harvest. To the measure that we sow, we will reap.
Biblical giving
After we started to get an understanding about Biblical giving - we were faced with the same challenges that everyone else has. You want to give, but it is hard to find money to give, because it is all already being spent on other important things.
It was for this reason that we had to start budgeting for our giving. The Bible says that we are to “discipline ourselves for the purpose of godliness” and that “we should not make any provision for the flesh.”
It is crucial that we set up NATURAL processes and habits in order to fulfill the SPIRITUAL things that we are called to do.
In this case taking money right off the top of our income to budget for giving were the natural steps that helped fulfill what God wanted us to do. It wasn’t enough that we wanted to give, or even that we asked God to help us give. We had to take natural steps (that were His will) to fulfill what He wanted us to do.
Bottom Line: Budgeting for giving was just a simple step that helped us fulfill what we were called to do.
A few things that budgeting for gifts did for us:
- Assuming we were adding enough to the account, we rarely (if ever) would need to try to find money to purchase gifts.
- It encouraged more generosity because money was sitting in the account just waiting to be spent. We agreed that it would ONLY be used for giving purposes, therefore we might as well spend it because that was what it was there for.
- It is a wonderful feeling to have money available for the sole purpose of blessing others. It makes it really EASY and FUN to give.
- It is great to have cash always available to pay for Birthday gifts, but it is even more exciting as you increase your budgeted amount. When it gets to the point that there is so much money in the account that you have to start looking for people to bless. I want to get to the point where the account is overflowing and we have to work hard to try to give it all away!! I can’t think of anything more fun!!
Before we started budgeting for gifts I never had a thorough understanding of what Jesus meant that it was more blessed to give than to receive. The main reason was that giving created a negative side effect on my finances. Since my groceries and gifts were purchased from money in the same pot, I was always torn between my desire to give and my desire to eat.
Now, instead of thinking about how a gift was going to cause me to get fewer groceries, I now am free to focus on blessing the other person rather than my grocery list.
For more inspiration check out these giving verses
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This is a good thing to say when faced with a financial difficulty. It is very difficult to utter those words sometimes, but it is good for us to do so. This isn’t an excuse to be lackadaisical with our money, but it is an acknowledgement that there is SO MUCH MORE TO LIFE than money.
I am all for being a great steward of the resources and finances that God has provided, but when it comes down to it, He is the one who meets our needs! (Philippians 4:19) And last time I read the verse, there weren’t any prerequisites like being extremely organized, being really disciplined, managing our money like a pro, or even not making mistakes. Even with all our imperfections and “human-ness” the Bible still says that He will provide all our needs according to His riches and glory.
So, as difficult as it may seem, next time a financial difficulty arises, push out those three words, “it’s only money.” Just by saying this, you minimize its importance in your life. Money is not supposed to the primary focus (aka Lord) of our lives.
As I am writing I am thinking back to a few difficult times over the last few years where I needed the help of my wonderful wife to help me make that confession. Whether it is easy to say or not, IT IS TRUE. Money comes and money goes. It is ONLY money. Don’t worry about it, just keep trusting God. He is the one who takes care of you.
Matthew 6:26
Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?
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Is it really money that everyone is after?
It isn’t. But yet Solomon said, “He who loves money will not be satisfied with money…” (Ecc 5:10)
Last I checked, we still can not eat money, knit a shirt from it, or build a roof with it. So, a million dollars while stranded on an deserted island is about useless.
No one really wants money, but rather, they want what they think it will provide. Some want to get out of debt, have a BMW, buy a yacht, feel a sense of financial security, and some want to have the prestige or power they think it will bring. But the pieces of cloth that we call cash is ultimately not what people are interested in.
And of course, even the things that money may provide shouldn’t be sought after.
Matthew 6:33
“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”
Check out these other money verses
More on No one really wants money
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I just visited an old friend of mine last weekend and we talked quite a bit about money and God. It was eye-opening for me to talk to someone who had a completely different mindset on money than I did. He has been on the opposite extreme of the American way of living extravagantly off of credit cards.
He hasn’t had a penny of debt, was very wise with his money, but had a distorted view of how much it takes to survive. He grew up in a wealthy household. And many people, including myself, would assume that concerns about money would not have existed, but we would be wrong.
They lived debt-free and had a ton in the bank, but as he told me concerns about running out of money were a very real issue. This was difficult for me to imagine having grown up with a lot less.
The balance point
I was excited to see that my friend has made a lot of progress to getting a clearer view on what it takes to live and provide for your family.
The whole weekend just made me wonder about this difficult to reach balance point. A point where we realize that money is only a tool, that God is our provider, that we have to be able to say NO to ourselves, but also have to be able to say YES.
As Solomon talked about in Ecclesiastes, there is a time for everything. There is a time to tell yourself, “no, you don’t need that,” and there is a time to give money and to spend money. What else is it good for?
There is a balanced point where we can all live. Where we rest in knowing that God is going to take care of us like the wonderful Father that He is.
Technorati Tags: money and God
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Should a Christian Set Goals?
There seems to be a struggle for Christians in figuring out the appropriate balance between trusting God and waiting on Him and actively doing our part. Trusting in our own abilities to accomplish God’s work is the one extreme while not taking action when we should is the other extreme.
I struggle with this issue from time to time and was helped by an article that I found recently.
No plans and no goals
The author starts by pointing out three faulty assumptions of those who made no plans and set no goals:
-
- They think their feelings are an infallible guide for sensing the leading of the Spirit. But even Jesus did not take this attitude, for when he prayed in the garden, “If it is possible, let this cup pass from me” (Matt 26:39), he was clearly indicating (among other things) that emotionally he would prefer not to face the cross.
- They believe that the Holy Spirit leads people only in a spontaneous way. That is, he does not move them to make plans. But Paul made plans (see, for example, Acts 15:36; Rom 1:13), the apostles made plans (Acts 6:1-3), and even Jesus himself made plans (Matt 10:5-15; 16:21; 26:17-19). Surely we cannot claim that these men were not Spirit-led in their planning.
- They subconsciously reject the idea that they can hear the Spirit’s voice through the Scriptures. But by abandoning the Word of God as their normative guide, they are assuming that the Holy Spirit usually circumvents the Word when he speaks to men. This is hardly the view of the Spirit-led men of the past (see, for example, Ps 119:9-16; Matt 4:4; 5:17; 2 Tim 3:15-17).
Personally, I strongly agree with point #3. I received some good teaching that anything that the Holy Spirit is leading us to do should not disagree with the Bible. At the same time, the Bible is God’s word and therefore can be taken as instruction from God.
Holding too tightly to plans and goals
The opposite extreme is to be so engrossed in our plans and what we are doing that we ignore when God is giving us direction. It can be very easy to let pride get in the way by continuing to do what we shouldn’t just to save face. The article mentions how Paul made adjustments to his plans on multiple occasions on his missionary journeys (Acts 16:6-7).
“Herein is balance: although Paul planned, he was sensitive to the Lord altering his plans.”
James 4:13-15
13Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.”
14Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.
15Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.”
The article points out how James brings the healthy balance to the issue:
In James 4, the author specifically addresses the one who sets his goals in concrete: “Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow, we shall go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.’ Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away” (vv. 13-14).
James calls such rigidity arrogance ( v. 16). But he does not say that we should not set goals. Rather, we should make plans, but submit them to the Lord: “Instead, you ought to to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we shall live and also do this or that’” (v. 15).
In reality, James 4:15 balances out both extremes. We should use our minds and set goals, but we must do so in humility, recognizing that God alone controls our destiny.
I tend to lean a bit to the side of planning and relying on them too much. But God is slowly getting it through my thick skull that He is capable of a lot more than I am. Seeing the fruit of the times when I succeeded in letting Him be God over a situation, it is so true.
What about you? Are you a goal setter and a planner?
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Should a Christian be in Debt?
The Bible makes it clear that being in debt is not God’s best for us. I haven’t found anything to indicate that it is a sin for a Christian to be in debt (unless of course you are disobeying God’s personal instruction for you), but Jesus came to set us free, not make us slaves. Therefore, when Proverbs says “the borrower is slave to the lender,” I get the impression that God wants us to be debt-free.
We live in a unique time, with unique challenges. We are inundated with so much advertising and marketing almost everywhere we go. The world is screaming a lot of things, and most of them aren’t in agreement with what God is whispering to us.
It is a challenge to live within your means. Especially when you see so many others living way beyond their means and enjoying the fleeting pleasures of the moment. It requires great sacrifice to see long term and to think beyond what our flesh wants right now.
Debt is NOT normal
I am not going to go on a tirade against credit cards or car loans right now, but we have got to start understanding that debt is not normal. Just because most of society calls it normal and good does not make it either of those.
Isaiah 5:20
Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil;
Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness…
Just because everyone else is doing it, does not make it right!! God’s principles, regardless of how few people follow them, should be our guide. Not the noise of society.
Debt is Slavery
Every time we enter into lender/borrower agreement we are actually entering into a master/slave agreement.
Proverbs 22:7
The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower becomes the lender’s slave.
Just as there is a bondage that comes from being in debt, there is a opposite and equal freedom that comes from being liberated from it. I am still working on this one myself. I am doing everything I can do by being disciplined with my money and being the best steward possible. And I am trusting that God will do His part.
He wants to see us liberated from the slavery of debt more than we do. By doing our part and asking Him for help a lot of power is present to break us out of the bondage of debt.
Being Debt-Free isn’t just for us
Whether God wants everyone to be a millionaire, I can not answer. But I do know that he wants all Christians to prosper.
Psalm 35:27
…And let them say continually, “The LORD be magnified,Who delights in the prosperity of His servant.”
He wants us to thrive and use that which we have been blessed with to bless others. He says, we will lend to many nations and not borrow. In order to lend to others we need to get ourselves in a solid financial situation that will allow it.
That said, we need to start giving no matter what our situation looks like. It is easy to say, “Oh, I will give when I have more money to give.” God wants us to give when we feel like we have nothing to give. It is a true step of faith when you give before you have an abundance.
Luke 12:41-44
And He sat down opposite the treasury, and began observing how the people were putting money into the treasury; and many rich people were putting in large sums.
A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which amount to a cent.
Calling His disciples to Him, He said to them, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the contributors to the treasury;
for they all put in out of their surplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in all she owned, all she had to live on.”
Sowing seed for the harvest
The Bible makes it clear that we will reap what we sow. Once you start thinking of that like a farmer it makes it a lot easier…
I am getting ready to plant some tomato, lettuce, herbs, and a bunch of other seeds. I know that if I don’t drop any seed in the ground, I will not get any of the harvest in a few months. But if I do plant those seeds, I can count on receiving a bunch of tomatoes, peppers, lettuce and everything else that I sow.
We need to look at every dollar we have as seed. We can either spend it on ourselves or we can sow it into the Kingdom of God (our local church) or sow it into someone else’s life.
Galatians 6:7
Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.
It is okay to expect a harvest for what you sow. God said it. We can trust Him. Let’s make it a point this week to sow a little bit more seed, and just see what God does.
Technorati Tags: Christian, get out of debt
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I don’t normally watch TV preachers. I tend to not like a lot of what I see (at least what is on in my area). But, last night I was flipping channels and stumbled on someone who was saying something that caught my attention.
He made a great point based off of the below verse:
1 Timothy 6:9-11
But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction.
For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
But flee from these things, you man of God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness.
This is written to those who don’t have money as much as those who do.
The bible says that Man looks at the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart. God knows our thoughts and motivations behind every action we take. People, on the other hand, do not, but they like to think that they do. It is easy to look at someone with a lot of money and judge them quoting the above verse. But we will NEVER know their heart.
But, some people who don’t have much money, who would probably never be judged by PEOPLE for being in love with money, could be completely guilty in God’s eyes of lusting after wealth.
The truth is, I have known people who didn’t have much money who would have done anything to get money. They would lie, steal, cheat, and hurt anyone who got in their way just to get money. This is a condition of the heart. We all know that there are many rich people who behave exactly the same way. If they did it when they were poor, they will do it when they are rich.
I have also known millionaires who spent most of their time trying to bless others. They were moral role-models who did not make their decisions based on how it would affect them financially, but by what would be pleasing to God. Not being God, I can’t know for sure the condition of their heart, but from seeing their behavior I can safely assume they were not those being described in the verse above.
Be Content.
The TV preacher I saw last night was telling a story about how he had not worked in over a year, had no income and in the middle of that situation God started to show him that he had a materialism issue to deal with. The guy argued with God saying, “I don’t have any money, how can I be materialistic?” He quickly realized that (1) God wasn’t wrong and he did have an issue. (2) That his materialism was tied to his discontentment.
The apostle Paul talked about how he learned how to “abase and abound” - how he could live in high times and low times. He had figured out how to be content with whatever he had. He understood that God was his supply and that God would meet his needs. He understood that if he sought the Kingdom of God first that the “things” would follow.
Once we break free from the mindset that “life will be so much better when…” we will truly be free. God wants us to be content NOW. He doesn’t want us to wait until our circumstances change for the better to be content…
Hebrews 13:5
Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, “I WILL NEVER DESERT YOU, NOR WILL I EVER FORSAKE YOU
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The Bible says that Solomon was the richest man who ever lived and also the wisest ever to live (1 Kings 4:31). I think that makes him qualified to give some financial advice.
I know there is some debate over whether or not Solomon wrote Ecclesiastes, so just in case he didn’t we can use the alternate title of: Financial Lessons from someone wise.
Money does not satisfy
- He who loves money with not be satisfied with money… -Ecclesiastes 5:10
Loving money is a dangerous thing. Some people spend their entire lives chasing more and more money thinking that it will bring them satisfaction, only to never actually attain the satisfaction they were searching for. True satisfaction only comes from God. It doesn’t come from getting married, a bigger house, a Mil in the bank, or being retired. What is interesting is that when we take our focus off of getting more money and more things, then they seem to start appearing. I guess this is what was meant by the verse in Matthew, “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
Diversify your investments
- Divide your portion to seven, or even to eight, for you do not know what misfortune may occur on the earth. -Ecclesiastes 11:2
I get two things out of this verse. First, that Solomon lays out the groundwork for diversification. I like the balance of having 7-8 “eggs in the basket,” rather than just one that would leave us with nothing if it turned out bad. But also, not 200 miniscule eggs that are worth next to nothing individually. In this case, if any one investment performed very well, it would make very little impact on the portfolio as a whole. On the other hand, if you had seven investments and any one of them performed well, it would have a decent impact on the portfolio as a whole.
There is never a perfect time
- He who watches the wind will not sow and he who looks at the clouds will not reap. -Ecclesiastes 11:4
I think the reason that some of us wait for the perfect time to do something is because we are trying to wait until there is no risk. It is human nature, we want to eliminate any and all risk of bad things happening. No matter how much we try, we can NEVER eliminate all risk. Any time we step out into anything there will be some level of risk, but that is not an excuse not to take action. If it is stepping out into a new job, taking the first step to get out of debt, quit a bad habit, or anything else - there will always be an excuse not to take action. Step out and be one of those people who realizes that the perfect time is now.
Work Smarter, Not Harder
- If the axe is dull and he does not sharpen its edge, then he must exert more strength… -Ecclesiastes 10:10
Steven Covey calls this his 7th Habit of Highly Effective People. He calls it “Sharpening the Saw.” Sometimes the most effective thing we can do is to rest. Though, it seems counter-intuitive, it really isn’t. Resting, allows for more production on your productive hours. People who live by this principle realize that often 6 hours can be more productive when accompanied with rest than 10 without.
This was another lesson that I learned the hard way while in school. I would frequently spend 4 hours on homework, when I am sure I could have done it easily in 2 hours. I was living in a sleep-deprived zombie-like state because I, “had better things to do with my time than sleep.” But because my brain was functioning well below its capability, it took me a lot longer to finish my assignments.
My best success with this has been by regularly asking myself am I working hard or working smart. They aren’t mutually exclusive, but if you are only focusing on working hard, without actually thinking about if it is the smartest method, then you could be wasting your time with a dull axe.
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