Someone once offered this advice for those seeking to accomplish good in this life:
“Start by doing what’s necessary, then do what’s possible, and suddenly you are doing the impossible.”
(I say ‘someone’ said it, because it’s attributed to almost everyone. Whoever deserves the credit, it’s a good quote.)
I imagine we all have a few projects on our to-do list that could be classified as impossible. Or maybe they just feel that way — requiring more energy and more resources than we can currently muster.
No matter how beyond-your-grasp the task may seem, the solution is the same: Do what must be done, then do what can be done.
Eventually, looking back, you’ll see that you’ve accomplished what “they” said (and you thought) couldn’t be done.
The process always begins with facing the most necessary task of the day.
A quote from Andy Stanley comes to mind: “We don’t drift in good directions. We discipline and prioritize ourselves there.”
David said this about priorities:
So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom. (Psalm 90:12)
He’s not talking about counting our days, as it’s been said, but making our days count.
How do we do it?
“Start by doing what’s necessary, then do what’s possible, and suddenly you are doing the impossible.”
