You Will Not Rise to the Occasion
Every year I head to Southern Ontario to a national park called Quetico. This park is comprised of a million square miles of rugged wilderness and a thousand lakes. To say this place is remote is an understatement. From the hours of canoe paddling, to chopping wood, to building fires, to experiencing the unrelenting elements of Mother Nature …you learn who you are and what you’re made of.
Each year me and the guys read a book around the fire. Of all the books we’ve read over the years, “Chop Wood, Carry Water” by Joshua Medcalf stands out for sure. One night, a quote was read that I have never forgotten:
“under pressure you don’t rise to the occasion, you sink to the level of your training.”
This quote is attributed to the Navy Seals and is used by them when they explain the depth and demand of their training. Simply put, it’s too late to train for war when you’re in the war. Rising to the occasion is simply a myth and a devastating one at that.
I know nothing of being a seal, a lot of being a former D1 athlete and even more about being a pastor. Every year as I paddle the waters of Quetico I think about this quote and what it looks like to apply it to my life of leading a church, a spouse and children. The more I think about it, the more I see how this truism aligns with the writings of Dallas Willard. One of my all time favorite Dallas quotes is:
“Trying hard can only accomplish so much. If you are serious…you will have to enter into a life of training.”
This kind of thinking led me back again to evaluating the key spiritual disciplines that are active or have grown dormant in my life. Spiritual disciplines are one of the key ways we TRAIN…this is something we choose to engage in long before we need the blessing of their byproducts. Spiritual disciplines lift our thinking, deepen our convictions and widen our compassion.
I’ll leave you with these thoughts:
If you feel the rising pressure of finances, train yourself in generosity by giving away a portion of your earnings.
If you feel the rising pressure of selfishness, train yourself in self-denial by meeting someone else’s needs.
If you feel the rising pressure of self promotion, train yourself in the discipline of secrecy.
If you feel the rising pressure of negativity or frustration, train yourself in gratitude.
If you feel the rising pressure of being heard or making your statement, tame your thumbs, choose wisdom and chronicle most of your thoughts in a private journal. You’ll thank me later.
Train yourself today, so that tomorrow you might rise to the occasion!