1 Samuel 16:18a “One of Jesse’s sons from Bethlehem is a talented harp player.”
“Consistency is what transforms average into excellence.”— Tony Robbins.
Officials in Saul’s palace spoke well about the incredibly talented little shepherd boy David, who was an excellent harpist. If his skills were discussed in the king’s palace, David must have performed brilliantly well in family gatherings, religious festivals and functions. Malcolm Gladwell says “It takes ten thousand hours to truly master anything. Time spent leads to experience; experience leads to proficiency; and the more proficient you are the more valuable you’ll be.” To be celebrated as a distinguished artist, David would have perfected his talent consistently, everyday without lethargy or languor.
Consistency transforms average into excellence. An ordinary ruddy lad from a small town of Bethlehem with no formal training, was the most esteemed king of Israel. “So David reigned over all Israel, and he administered justice and equity to all his people.” (1 Chronicles 18:14). The attributes to the unique caliber of the gifted violent warrior King David, was his stability in his relationship with God throughout his lifetime. It took almost 15 years from when he was privately anointed as king to when he was publicly appointed as the King of Israel. Throughout the waiting and wandering he remained worshiping the Lord.
Consistency is the key to excellence:
- Delays: Delay is not denial; be consistent when delay derails the bandwagon. When the dream job application gets rejected; when we fall into a trap that we tried with all our might to overcome; when we make a wrong turn, wrong investment or a wrong decision, we must not stop praying, praising or pursuing our purpose. What you lost was not God’s best for you. Consistency makes you excellent and excellence takes you to your desired destination.
- Disappointments: Disappointments must not disrupt our consistency and routine. The same master and king whom David served as a harpist and the Commander in Chief tried to hunt him down for almost 10 years. The promise and the anointing seemed to dissipate when David was running for his life in the wilderness. Yet, David did not stop his continuous worship or discontinue his relationship with the Lord. It was the consistency in the relationship with the Lord that made him the greatest king of Israel.
- Depression: David in many of his psalms starts with an anguish and a lament from the depths of his soul. He cries, “Lord why are you far away from me, why have you forsaken me, my tears have been my food”, (Psalm 10, 38, 42, 43, 130), but he always finished the psalm with a triumphant note – “the Lord is my King forever”, “My defender, He is my rock”, “Israel put your hope in the Lord”, “Why are you downcast my soul, put your trust in the Lord”. We are not alone, David was depressed too; Yet, he remained faithful through the dark depressing valley. It was the pit of depression that turned him into a stupendous leader. Consistency turned the protracted persecution into permanent promotion.
Consistency transforms average into excellence.
1 Samuel 30:6 But David strengthened himself in the LORD his God.
Prayer: Dear Jesus, it is not my one day achievement but my everyday commitment that morphs me towards excellence. Help me to be consistent. Amen.
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