Be a Plodder
I am reading Heroes by Dr. Harold J. Sala with my girl. So far, all of the stories are encouraging and challenging. I personally camped on the one about William Carey, "The Father of Modern Missions", for a little bit.
William Carey was self-educated. He taught himself Latin, Hebrew and Greek and became proficient in six languages by the age of 12. While many in the church believed the heathen to be "unworthy of the sacrifice necessary to convert them", William "believed that each individual is important to our heavenly Father and that Christ died for the sins of the world, a world that needed to hear that people are saved by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ." (p. 102)
While Carey accomplished great learning at an early age and became known as "The Father of Modern Missions", he did not wish to be known for such accomplishments. Dr. Sala shares that William had once told his nephew ". . . if after my removal anyone should think it worth his while to write my life, I will give you a criterion by which you may judge its correctness. If he gives me credit for being a plodder, he will describe me justly. Anything beyond this will be too much. I can plod. That is my only genius. I can persevere in any definite pursuit. To this I owe everything." (p. 102)
Warren Wiersbe commented that "a 'plodder' is someone who is willing to get his feet wet and wade through water to get to his destination. He keeps going." (p. 102) Dr. Sala was reminded of Sir Edmund Hillary who climbed Mt. Everest. The secret to his success was that he took another step, he kept going.
As a stay-at-home wife and homeschooling mom, it's sometimes easy to feel like the things I do are unnoticed, unappreciated, and unimportant. I do pretty much the same things day in and day out. I'm not earning money for the things I do and I'm not recognized for the the things I do. Sometimes there is no joy in doing those daily things.
"To the Philippians Paul wrote, '. . . one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus' (Philippians 3:13, 14)." (pp. 102-103)
Dr. Sala writes, "Be encouraged and plod on, as did the man who eventually left his mark on the world. The daily routine of doing what you know you should be doing - whether it is raising your children, (homeschooling, cleaning the house, washing the dishes, buying groceries, cooking meals, picking up after the family, or doing laundry) - is your means of pleasing of God. And it may take just that to succeed." (p. 103)
"Most of life is not terribly glamorous - getting up and doing the same thing every day, yet learning to be faithful in the small task is the key to accomplishing great things. Remember, when others turned back, Hillary took one more step." (p. 103)
I may not always receive praise here on earth for the things I do; but I am challenged to keep plodding on. And not just to plod on with slumped shoulders and a frown; but to see how well I can do each thing God has called me to do. Ultimately, my greatest desire is to hear from the Lord, "Well done, good and faithful servant!" (Matthew 25:21)
"And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him." Colossians 3:17
William Carey was self-educated. He taught himself Latin, Hebrew and Greek and became proficient in six languages by the age of 12. While many in the church believed the heathen to be "unworthy of the sacrifice necessary to convert them", William "believed that each individual is important to our heavenly Father and that Christ died for the sins of the world, a world that needed to hear that people are saved by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ." (p. 102)
While Carey accomplished great learning at an early age and became known as "The Father of Modern Missions", he did not wish to be known for such accomplishments. Dr. Sala shares that William had once told his nephew ". . . if after my removal anyone should think it worth his while to write my life, I will give you a criterion by which you may judge its correctness. If he gives me credit for being a plodder, he will describe me justly. Anything beyond this will be too much. I can plod. That is my only genius. I can persevere in any definite pursuit. To this I owe everything." (p. 102)
Warren Wiersbe commented that "a 'plodder' is someone who is willing to get his feet wet and wade through water to get to his destination. He keeps going." (p. 102) Dr. Sala was reminded of Sir Edmund Hillary who climbed Mt. Everest. The secret to his success was that he took another step, he kept going.
As a stay-at-home wife and homeschooling mom, it's sometimes easy to feel like the things I do are unnoticed, unappreciated, and unimportant. I do pretty much the same things day in and day out. I'm not earning money for the things I do and I'm not recognized for the the things I do. Sometimes there is no joy in doing those daily things.
"To the Philippians Paul wrote, '. . . one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus' (Philippians 3:13, 14)." (pp. 102-103)
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Dr. Sala writes, "Be encouraged and plod on, as did the man who eventually left his mark on the world. The daily routine of doing what you know you should be doing - whether it is raising your children, (homeschooling, cleaning the house, washing the dishes, buying groceries, cooking meals, picking up after the family, or doing laundry) - is your means of pleasing of God. And it may take just that to succeed." (p. 103)
"Most of life is not terribly glamorous - getting up and doing the same thing every day, yet learning to be faithful in the small task is the key to accomplishing great things. Remember, when others turned back, Hillary took one more step." (p. 103)
I may not always receive praise here on earth for the things I do; but I am challenged to keep plodding on. And not just to plod on with slumped shoulders and a frown; but to see how well I can do each thing God has called me to do. Ultimately, my greatest desire is to hear from the Lord, "Well done, good and faithful servant!" (Matthew 25:21)
"And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him." Colossians 3:17
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