Pressure to Perform

It was Abraham Lincoln who said "If I had six hours to chop down a tree, I'd spend the first four hours sharpening the axe.” But we are living at a time when everyone seems to be bothered about how quickly they can cut their own tree without recourse to whether or not their cutting edge is sharp enough to get the job done. This speaks only but of the pressure to perform which we face daily. When I speak of the pressure to perform, I do not refer to work place pressure, but I speak of the pressure we face in our individual lives to produce results.

Pressure can be a good thing if properly contained and managed, however, it could also be dangerous if not properly managed. One sure way to handle the pressure of performance in life is not allowing the success of others to put you under undue pressure to perform, if you allow this, you will be doing a great disservice to yourself. I understand that it is a normal human characteristic to make comparison, that could be a good thing in that it helps you make the best decision as long as the comparison is objective enough. However, one area that you should avoid when it comes to comparison is an attempt to compare yourself with others. Let me quickly point out that there is nothing wrong with looking at what others are doing in a bid to learn and adopt some of the principles that are working for them. But if you ever come to the place where rather than learning from others to better yourself, you are now beginning to compare yourself with them, you will eventually come under unnecessary pressure to perform, and the end of such is usually distasteful.

The Apostle Paul wrote in his letter to the Corinthians in 2Cor.10:2, that comparing yourself with others is not a wise thing to do. I have not lived so long compared to many of you who are reading this piece, but I have lived long enough to learn that comparing yourself with others is one of the foolish things you can ever engage in. Don’t be the type of person who is always looking at what others have achieved that you seem not to have achieved. Even when people try to rob it in your face, just learn to keep your cool and look away. Particularly in this age of social media, people will attempt to portray the very best and sometimes even exaggerated images of themselves to show you that they have finally arrived. Don’t be unfortunate to try to live by such, rather, give yourself time to grow into the inheritance that God has prepared for you.

Jesus walked the earth as the son of God, but He took time to grow and develop before He began to manifest as the messiah. The time spent in preparation is not lost time, and even though some people may seem half way already in cutting down their own tree, don’t let that trouble you, simply stay focused. I have come to understand that God never forgets us as we may sometimes think, and we are never left behind. You see, many times God takes you through a process, and that process is perhaps more important than the end in itself, because if you understand the process, then you can reproduce similar end over and over in other areas of your life, and possibly for other people. The important thing is that you must give your faith time to grow and don’t be under pressure to perform.

You may be trusting God for a particular breakthrough, trusting God that you also will live the good life or you could just be trusting God for some open door in ministry or other areas of involvement. Don’t let it trouble you that some other person whom you may even consider lower than you is already living in your dream. If you allow that to happen, it will poison your heart and breed resentment and envy towards others simply because they are making success of their lives in the areas that you seem to be lacking behind. You may even catch yourself wishing for their failure or that something unpleasant will happen to them, just to let them know that they aren’t invincible. Continue to wait on God and let Him take you through your own formative process. Be rest assured that if you stick with Him, you will definitely live in your dream, but more importantly the process He is taking you through will make it possible for you to also help others achieve their dreams. Rejoice with others as much as possible as they make success of their lives and ministry, but don’t let their success put you under pressure. Stay focused and keep working hard to fulfill your dream and in due time you will reap if you do not faint.

Shalom!