My husband and I try to have a word at the beginning of each new year to motivate ourselves to reach our goals for that year. Some words we have come up with in the past are “consistent” and “discipline”. We usually started off really well, but fell off somewhere in the middle. We are both in our 30’s now and have a daughter. With each year and birthday that passes, I can’t help but take a good look at my life. Where do I want to see myself in the next 5 years?
Entrepreneurship, being physically fit, having a few children, traveling, or landing that dream job… All of those things make a great future, but the question is HOW do we plan on getting there? The vision of it all is very exciting, but have we even thought about the work that it will take to launch the vision? We dream of reaching for the stars, but haven’t purchased the shuttle.
John Maxwell, a renowned leadership guru, said that while growing up his father used to say, “You can pay now, and play later OR you can play now and pay later. Either way, though, you’re going to have to pay.” In other words, you can put the hard work in now and reap the benefits of that hard work later, or you can continue to keep putting the tough work aside, but later regret when you have nothing to show for it. It’s not rocket science. If you put nothing in, you will get nothing back in return. And what is “hard work” anyway? Well, according to John Maxwell it is the accumulation of the easy stuff you didn’t do when you had the time. (Maxwell, Today Matters) (That one stepped on my toes, too.)
Jesus also said in Luke 14: 28, “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you.” This scripture is in reference to the cost of being a disciple. You need to understand and calculate the sacrifices, so you can be prepared when trouble comes.
At the end of life, no one wants to be left with a pile of “should’ve–could’ve–would’ve”-s. So, how do we remedy this? Two words: SHOW UP.
There is a blessing when we choose to show up. When you choose to show up for work, you get paid. When you show up to the cookout, you get a plate of yummy food. When you show up for others in your life, they tend to show up for you. So, why not persistently show up for yourself and sow into your future? Jesus gave us an example of how persistance can make all the difference:
“Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. 2 He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. 3 And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’
4 “For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice…” Luke 18:1-5
This widow was relentless in her pursuit for justice. Even after the first “no”, she kept showing up. Even after the second and third denial, she kept showing up. She refused to take “no” for an answer. We cannot get weary in our decision to keep showing up, because we know that it’s going to produce a harvest if we don’t give up. (Galatians 6:9)
In Hebrews 12:11 the Word says:
“No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.”
We must allow discipline to train us! Eventually, you will see results. Keep showing up in your quiet time with The Lord. When God wakes you to pray, go. When you don’t feel like going to work out, go anyway. When you’d rather order something fried over something healthy, or spend unnecessary funds just remember how you want to show up for your future self. Your future self will thank you.
I wrote a poem in honor of “showing up”. I wrote it as a kind of mantra for myself. I hope this post inspires you to not live life passively, but I pray you zealously SHOW UP every single day.
SHOW UP
SHOW UP when no one is watching
SHOW UP when people are
SHOW UP when you don’t feel like it
SHOW UP until you do
SHOW UP when life gets hectic
SHOW UP when life is slow
SHOW UP when you don’t feel relevant
SHOW UP because you are
SHOW UP when you have reasons to quit
SHOW UP when that’s all there is
SHOW UP because that is the only thing you can do
just SHOW UP…
…and watch God SHOW OUT.
Original post date: 02/03/2020
Edited: 09/03/2024
