10,000 times Hello!

I recently completed a round trip to New York. I drove 12 hours there, and 12 hours back. Growing up in England, I always marvelled at Americans ability to drive seemingly interminable distances at a whim. So whenever I complete a trip that edges into double figures I feel like a hero!

My trip with my newly wed wife, took us to Staten Island, Manhattan, China Town, the Lower East side, and finally to Upstate New York. We stayed with friends who live near the Catskills mountains 10,000ft above sea level. When you are 10,000ft up it makes a difference. 10,000 of most things in this world make a difference.

Gladwell, M in his book Outliers  discusses the 10,000-hour rule. Essentially, those who hit this magical figure interms of practise rise to the standard that the world terms “world class experts.” Mozart, Bill Joy, Edison, Bill Gates, The Beatles… the list is longer than your arm.

I guess there are no shortcuts to success. Sometimes I get frustrated when I don’t wake up on that cold tuesday morning as a world expert in… [fill in the blank] It seems unfair that some people just have it and other’s don’t? Gladwell’s musings gives hope to an average guy like myself! I may not have 10,000hrs to put into my desired area of improvement, but the mechanics of my mind don’t preclude me from maximal achievement in my personal journey! To throw a pugilistic hat in the nature vs nurture ring, it seems that nature is the true prize fighter! The article goes on to speak about each person having terrific opportunities. It got me thinking.

Those people that memorise the bible, the ones that have a ready answer on theology, ontology, ethics, obscure exegetical points; you know the ones. Maybe they were not zapped with a magic wand when they were born. Maybe they just put in the hours, maybe they are gaining ground on the 10,000.

So lets toast to the 10,000, we may not get there, but every hour clocked is a step in the right direction. But wait. What about GOD and the bible, how does the 10,000 fit in there? I’m not sure to be honest, I know that time with GOD does not always output godliness (pride, wrong motives etc are contributing factors). But I know that I will be closer to my wife after 10,000hrs of loving, persevering relationship, and after 10,000hrs with GOD I know that I will closer to my maximal personal goal of looking more like HIM.

2 Cor 3:18 – But we all, with unveiled face reflecting as a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord the Spirit.