Chicot Verses 2

In all labor there is profit,

But mere talk leads only to poverty.

Proverbs 14:23 (NASB)

This verse has in its sights our work ethic and how it impacts our pocket book. In short, work and you earn; talk without work and you get nowhere and nothing. I think, however, that its application is a little broader than that. Let's take the first line: "In all labor there is profit." I have wondered about that a time or two. When I was a termite man, there were days that I worked very hard and got nothing done. Working on a commission, I had days that despite a lot of sweat, I didn't make a dime. My frustration level on those days would be through the roof, and on more than one occasion, it caused me to question the veracity of this verse. But a little reflections revealed to me that although I did not make any money on those days, I did gain some experience and learned a few things not to do. Furthermore, in a fallen world we have to overcome many things and unproductivity that is not our fault is sometimes on of those things.

But the verse really points to the idea that you have to pull the trigger on action. This is stated in the second line: "But mere talk leads only to poverty." If you just jaw about things and don't do anything, you never make money and/or you never make your dreams come true. The Chicot Challenge, like many things, started with an idea. The idea led to talk. But if it had stopped at the talk stage, the swim would never have become a reality, and my soul and memories would be much impoverished compared to how they are now.

At some point each year, I have to begin training. I mark January 2nd as the opening of my Chicot training. Before that, I talk about it a lot, I think about it a lot, and I even plan for it a lot. But to make it come to pass, I have to start swimming a lot, lifting a lot, and doing anything else I think that will lead to a successful swim. 

Such is life. If you have a goal, a dream, a plan, at some point you have to start acting. Want to go back to school? Take a short trip over there and ask what hoops you have to jump through. Want a new job? Put in some applications, shake the bushes, ask around. After dreaming and thinking and praying there always has to be action. Take the step. Pull the trigger. Risk failure. There is no success without effort and risk.