Insanity Is What?
Albert Einstein defined insanity as doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. It’s an adage I have heard numerous times and have quoted many times. Now I’m certainly not one to argue with a genius. The quote is clever and at many levels it makes a lot of sense. However, I have been stewing on the value of expectations for days now.
- It is the expectation of something different that keeps us enduring those see nothing days.
- It is the expectation of something different that keeps the athlete at practice without the cheering crowds of fans.
- It is expectation of something different that keeps the overweight person failing at diet and exercise but getting back on the bandwagon again.
- It is the expectation of something different that keeps us looking at the same situation but continually going before God petitioning Him for change.
Almost Fainted But…
The Psalmist says he would have fainted if he had not believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living (Ps 27:3). Faint means to lose consciousness or to weaken in purpose or spirit. He kept going because He expected God’s intervention. The enemy of our soul would like nothing more than for us to continually hop from one lane to another never doing a thing consistently enough to see real results. Lasting results don’t happen in a twinkling of the eye and it does not come from a quick-fix-potion. Rather it requires the ability to keep at the same thing over and over again despite the frustration of failure to see a physical manifestation of what you long for.
Our believing is the antidote for giving up on activities, goals, ministries, and even people. Am I suggesting that one should forever be doing the same old things? Not exactly. Instead we need the discernment to know when to hang on and when to let it go and move forward.
Staying in your own lane while you see others whizzing by can be disheartening but when we sense ourselves feeling the urge to give up, we need to check our focus. What we choose to focus on eventual determines the paths our feet will walk—whether that is completely off the track or continuing toward our goal. Knowing when to pack up and when to persevere is vital.
What Others Are Saying
- Insanity and Perseverance (thesimpledollar.com)
- The Definition Of Insanity, or Persistence? (mattullrich.wordpress.com)
- My Prayer for you: Perserverance (overcomingloneliness.com)
THANK YOU WANDA!
I needed this today. I have been persevering in personal issues, but had to jump the track on a work issue. The work decision was fraught with angst, yet when I finally made it, not one person objected to it. (Which tells me it was the right one.) Hopefully going through this WILL initiate long-awaited (and good! Please God!) changes in the other.
Hi Elizabeth, it’s funny you would be the first to reply to my posts as I have been thinking of you. It’s amazing at times how we will fret over something and afterwards we realize there really wasn’t a reason to be fretting. Continue to listen and follow the path you will ultimately end up just were you were be to me. Have a great weekend Elizabeth.
Absolutely fascinating. Will be pondering this for a while.
As I said, this idea has been lodge in my mind for days. I have been getting the gentle reminder that sometimes I simply quit too soon.
Wonderful word, Wanda….this is spot on for me and exactly the reminder I needed today…thank you!
To God be the glory Karen. I’d been mulling over what to write about next and was lead back to a post I’d started days ago yet abandoned. May God grant you the wisdom to know when to persevere and when to pack up and move on. Good to hear from you Karen. Have a great weekend.
Thank you, Wanda…I appreciate your words of encouragement!
My goodness, Wanda, what can I say. I preached to myself last night on this …knowing and discerning when to let go and when to hang on … and now you are preaching to me. The beautiful thing about seeking God is that even when we mess up, and even faint, He can get us back on track. Even when we are clueless, He has the answer. The trick is to always hang on to Him (most people hang on to and focus on the problem or the issue, hoping it will somehow go away) and focus on Him. Sometimes the very problems that we are trying to avoid with our lane-hopping is what God will use to get us to that place, like He did with Joseph, where we step into the plan He’s had for us all along. Joseph being a ruler in Egypt was as insane as Ruth, a Moabite, ending up in the lineage of Christ, but she did. She was redeemed from her insane heritage. I say, let the REDEEMED of the Lord keep running, keep persevering, with full assurance that they’ll know which way to go: Call to Me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known. (Jeremiah 33:3); Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.” (Isaiah 30:21).
LaVonne, you’re absolutely right. Sometimes we do miss the boat and get off on the wrong track completely but all hope is not loss. As long as we are alive we have the opportunity to turn towards God and follow his leading. Also I agree about the importance of choosing what we are focus on because even with a myriad of distractions we all are honed in on something. I remember a time in my life that I felt so lost that Isaiah 30:21 is what I found myself clinging to believing that He would make the right known unto me.
Great thoughts. I am the kind of person who darts from one checkout lane to another and wind up never checking out : ) Staying the course and keeping my focus straight ahead, where He beckons and calls instead of my rear view or side mirrors is so important. Thank you so much for the needed encouragement! Thank you so much for the ping, I appreciate it greatly! : )
Jody, I’m guilty of that checkout lane hopping to only to realize if I had stayed in position, I could be out of the store quicker. Your quite welcome for the ping. I love your writing style and your heart. Your commitment to praying for your husband from A-Z is admirable. May the heart of prayer be stirred a fresh throughout the body of Christ. Blessings to you.
Great thoughts……needed the encouragement. I can so relate to the almost fainted part if I didn’t believe I’d see the goodness of God…and that fight to hang in….it’s good to know I’m not the only one who struggles through stuff.
Timely Word Wanda. Boils down to believing and having the “faith” to have the Word come alive in one’s life. Blessings.