6 “And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!’ 7 Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. 8 And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9 But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’
_Jesus, (Matthew 25:6-9)
Greg Mckeown in his book, Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less, writes “I know someone who always thinks it will take her five minutes to get to the store because she made the journey in five minutes once.”
We all know that lady.
Matter of fact, sometimes I am that lady! (Just to be clear, I am speaking figuratively.)
Here’s a safe assumption when making decisions: It will take longer than you think.
Count on it.
Most people who fail do not do so for lack of good intentions; like the foolish virgins in Jesus’ parable (see above), they failed because they didn’t plan on it taking as long as it did.
Life is like a building project, it always takes longer and costs more than the original bid.
Count on it.
Whether you’re trying to get an education, build a marriage and family, a career, achieve financial security or any of the other goals and dreams you have…
Count on it, it will take longer (and cost more) than you think.
Plan accordingly.
The ONE THING for today: “Planning accordingly” means that you pace yourself, guard your reserves, and don’t listen to the doubts or surrender to the pain.
“Planning accordingly” assumes that the goal is worth the sacrifice and that’s why you don’t quit.
Don’t burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame. Be alert servants of the Master, cheerfully expectant. Don’t quit in hard times; pray all the harder.
Romans 12:12 (The Message)
The ONE THING 