Is Inspiration More Powerful Than Perspiration?
“There is nothing so powerful as an idea whose time has come” – Victor Hugo
I love ideas – especially disruptive ones.
In a world more and more streamlined and similar, what is the key to success? It seems the only way to succeed in this world these days is by standing out and being different.
Some want to shy away from standing out in this world. Some want to just blend in, do what everyone else is doing, saying, drinking, wearing, vaping, watching….well you get the point.
I personally don’t understand that. No business succeeds by just going with the flow and doing what others have done or are doing. A book in my library - The Deviant’s Advantage – describes in essence zigging when others zag as the only way to stand out and find success in the world today.
87% of the Fortune 500 companies in 1955 are no longer on the list today. What once was a 75-year life expectancy is now at 15 years or less.
A few examples of disruptive companies include -Uber (Transportation)– Airbnb (Hotels)– Netflix (Entertainment)
The big idea!
Here it is: If you want to get ahead in life, you need to start working….less! You need a new holiday in your calendar Every. Single. Week! You need one day each week where you unplug from the digital matrix and plug into the real world.
Could it be true that less is more? Is 6 better than 7 ?
Origin and Worldview
It really all comes down to your worldview – especially your view of origins. If Evolution and the Cambrian explosion form the foundation of your view then you are on the track of survival of the fittest, or fastest or actually the hardest working guy or gal in the room. Perspiration is the answer for you.
But if your worldview begins with nothing and then a planet flourishing with life and highly complex ecosystems six days later, then you have a different foundation from which to build on. Inspiration is the answer for you.
Is inspiration more valuable than perspiration? The primary definition for inspired or inspiration is something divine vs. perspiration which is very human and related with hard work.
If a literal six-day creation is your worldview, then you have a faith component that something can be created from nothing. Perhaps it would be fairer to say that something can be created from just an idea.
If your view of success in this life depends solely on what you can do, then you have a hard road ahead of you. At the same time, if you think it’s all been determined beforehand - also known as fate, destiny or predestination, then that road could lead to idleness, despair and disappointment.
The newer testament of Scripture tells us in Romans 12:3
For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.
Inside all of us, we have the ability to hope and believe in things that we cannot see nor do we have any evidence of.
“Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” – Hebrews 11:1
How would your life change if you started taking a holiday every seven days? You could choose The Sabbath or a sabbath. There is a big difference between a regular Holiday as compared to a Holy Day.
We find the idea of Sabbath at the very beginning of the story of man and earth per the account in the Hebrew scriptures in the book of Genesis.
In Genesis 1 and 2 we read of the account of Creation in six literal days and the seventh day is blessed as a holiday to remember that we were created by a loving God for an amazing purpose.
Exodus 20:8-11 –tells us about the Sabbath. It seems people always forget the Sabbath – especially when forced to work nonstop in Egypt.
8“Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9“Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10but the seventh day is a sabbath of the LORD your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your female servant or your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you. 11“For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day and made it holy.
Forgetting this idea of Sabbath is what led Israel to be captured and taken slaves again into Babylon for 70 years.
Nehemiah not long after working abroad asks for permission to rebuild Jerusalem. He goes back to do this great work and discovers yet again Israel doesn’t understand the importance of Sabbath.
“In those days I saw people in Judah treading winepresses on the Sabbath and bringing in grain and loading it on donkeys, together with wine, grapes, figs and all other kinds of loads. And they were bringing all this into Jerusalem on the Sabbath. Therefore, I warned them against selling food on that day.” Nehemiah 13:15
The seventh-day Sabbath is a day to not work but also a day to not make others work for you in any capacity. God is about equality not elite status.
How would your life change if right now you knew you were going to take 52 additional vacation days – 10 weeks (5x10) - in the next year? How would that affect your peace of mind? Satisfaction? Family life? Love life? How would it affect your bank account?
National Geographic identified a group of Sabbath-keepers known as Seventh-day Adventists located in Loma Linda, California as one of five Blue Zones in the world where people live 7-10 years longer and stronger than the rest of the population. This was the only one in America. Did you know that Proverbs 3 links enjoying the weekly Sabbath with Longevity?
Most Americans don’t take all of their vacation days each year. Why not?
"When I see how many vacation days went unused, I don't just see a number—I see 768 million (in 2018) missed opportunities to recharge, experience something new and connect with family and friends," said U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Roger Dow in a statement accompanying the study. https://www.travelpulse.com/news/features/americans-let-a-record-number-of-vacation-days-go-unused-in-2018.html
Most report they can’t afford to take vacation due to other responsibilities or actual inability to pay for a trip.
Some companies like Netflix and Virgin and others have gone to the ‘unlimited vacation’ policy – but does it work? Not really, because this latest generation is always on and they are suffering from more anxiety and health issues than previous generations.
One origin story of life says you came from God, the other says you came from a monkey. Which is more appealing to have in your lineage?
We were designed for this weekly vacation day - Jesus set an example for this.
It is important to remember the key passage on this idea - “the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” – Mark 2:27
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Celebrating the Sabbath each week is a reminder of a few things:
- SABBATH IS ALSO A WEEKLY REMINDER OF OUR ORIGIN, IDENTITY, DESTINY, PLACE AND PURPOSE.
Sabbath is a reminder that I’m not god. It is a reminder that I am my brother or sisters keeper and not owner.
SABBATH IS A DAY TO RECONNECT
In a world where everything is always on, the idea of unplugging from the hustle and bustle and taking a breath begins to be more and more inviting. Dopamine fasting, forest bathing, hiking etc.
SABBATH IS A REMINDER THAT GOD MAKES US WHOLE – WEEK IN AND WEEK OUT.
Ezekiel 20:12
Moreover I also gave them My Sabbaths, to be a sign between them and Me, that they might know that I am the LORD who sanctifies them.
To me, that means the Sabbath is a day each week where I cease from the work I am doing to maintain this life and remember that God has not nor ever will cease His work in my life. It is a day that gives me confidence that He who began a good work in my life will one day bring the ultimate payoff. – Philippians 1:6