In Stephen Pressfield’s classic “War of Art”, he mentions that the high
performers, the creatives, those who produce, those who are effective, etc.
eventually have to learn to “be miserable”.
“The artist must be like that marine. He has to know how to be miserable. He has
to love being miserable. He has to take pride in being more miserable than any
soldier…because this is war, baby. And war is hell.” (68)
I believe this is a powerful idea and one every man, every leader and every
change agent must learn in order to perform and push through tough seasons of
life and leadership.
Navy Seals teach this...one of my friends at dinner mentioned how two-a-days
football practices taught him this...another friend added how Medical school
Residency taught him this...I threw in how that was my greatest lesson in
training for and running a marathon…you can be miserable, and still move
forward, produce and thrive. God teaches this…see Abraham, Moses, Joseph,
David, Paul…take your pick.
What a powerful lesson we should all live! Could there be a greater gift, on a
practical level, to invest in our kids? How can we train emerging leaders or
church planters with this reality?
In our age of spoiled kids, privileged kids, over-indulgence, helicopter
parenting, and the lies we tell kids and young men and women that they “can be
and do anything they want to be and do”…many are launching “soft” young adults
into the world who have no idea how to struggle well or thrive through misery…so
they pout and quit and remain a taker, not a giver.
Couple that with ridiculous expectations that a perfect job is waiting on them
along with a perfect boss in exactly the city they want to live in along with a
paycheck that is more than they’ll need and you have a recipe for a
disaster…check most 20-somethings.
The few truly understand, theologically, that we live in a fallen world, this is
not heaven (thank God), life is hard, there is much pain, disappointment and
misery…but in the midst of that, by God’s grace, we can learn to cultivate and
create in the midst of circumstances that will rarely, if ever, be ideal.
A friend once told me to pinch Gen 1 and 2 in one hand and Rev 19 and 20 in the
other. Those 4 chapters are perfection. The other 1,185 chapters in the Bible
teach us to contend in the midst of a fallen world.
Don’t be a whiner, quitter, or baby and quit pouting or being surprised about
“how hard” it is to do what you are doing. Of course it is. You are limited as
a fallen human in a fallen world. Learn to cultivate and create…all the while,
being miserable. If you can thrive and stay on mission, especially through the
worst of circumstances, you are preparing to be a game changer, a true leader,
who can adapt, adjust, and endure.
Jesus is still our perfect rescuer and our relentless pursuit of Him is still
our greatest joy.
performers, the creatives, those who produce, those who are effective, etc.
eventually have to learn to “be miserable”.
“The artist must be like that marine. He has to know how to be miserable. He has
to love being miserable. He has to take pride in being more miserable than any
soldier…because this is war, baby. And war is hell.” (68)
I believe this is a powerful idea and one every man, every leader and every
change agent must learn in order to perform and push through tough seasons of
life and leadership.
Navy Seals teach this...one of my friends at dinner mentioned how two-a-days
football practices taught him this...another friend added how Medical school
Residency taught him this...I threw in how that was my greatest lesson in
training for and running a marathon…you can be miserable, and still move
forward, produce and thrive. God teaches this…see Abraham, Moses, Joseph,
David, Paul…take your pick.
What a powerful lesson we should all live! Could there be a greater gift, on a
practical level, to invest in our kids? How can we train emerging leaders or
church planters with this reality?
In our age of spoiled kids, privileged kids, over-indulgence, helicopter
parenting, and the lies we tell kids and young men and women that they “can be
and do anything they want to be and do”…many are launching “soft” young adults
into the world who have no idea how to struggle well or thrive through misery…so
they pout and quit and remain a taker, not a giver.
Couple that with ridiculous expectations that a perfect job is waiting on them
along with a perfect boss in exactly the city they want to live in along with a
paycheck that is more than they’ll need and you have a recipe for a
disaster…check most 20-somethings.
The few truly understand, theologically, that we live in a fallen world, this is
not heaven (thank God), life is hard, there is much pain, disappointment and
misery…but in the midst of that, by God’s grace, we can learn to cultivate and
create in the midst of circumstances that will rarely, if ever, be ideal.
A friend once told me to pinch Gen 1 and 2 in one hand and Rev 19 and 20 in the
other. Those 4 chapters are perfection. The other 1,185 chapters in the Bible
teach us to contend in the midst of a fallen world.
Don’t be a whiner, quitter, or baby and quit pouting or being surprised about
“how hard” it is to do what you are doing. Of course it is. You are limited as
a fallen human in a fallen world. Learn to cultivate and create…all the while,
being miserable. If you can thrive and stay on mission, especially through the
worst of circumstances, you are preparing to be a game changer, a true leader,
who can adapt, adjust, and endure.
Jesus is still our perfect rescuer and our relentless pursuit of Him is still
our greatest joy.
Whoa, that was deep, but yet so refreshing to hear! So often I get stuck in my own world of thinking. The world where I'm in control and everything is going to happen according to my plans. Ha in my dreams right? It's so hard being a Christian in this broken world because nothing, I mine nothing in this world is going to satisfy us! We make idols out of things and worship earthly relationships, when the fact is that we need to turn to God. If everything always worked out according to the plans that we have constructed we would not need God! Ugh, there is so much a don't know and want to know! And I don't understand God's plans and why he brings us to the places he does. But no matter where we are, God is with us and is trying to make us cling to Him. Here are some verses that made me think of this whole topic of trusting God, His plans, etc....
"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for wholeness and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope." Jeremiah 29:11
"The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. "The LORD is my portion," says my soul, "therefore I will hope in HIM." The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD....For the Lord will NOT cast off forever, but, though he cause grief, he will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love." Lamentation 3:22-31
"Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the LORD is a GOd of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him." Isaiah 30: 18
"The Lord has discipline me severely, but he has not given me over to death." Psalm 118:18
this is deep.... "that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith-that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us." Ephesians 3:16-20
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