Persistence plus intelligence equals success

Galatians 6:9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall we reap if we faint not.
A story is told of a man who prayed to God for a four-wheeled car. When God seemed to delay in answering his prayer, he thought of making it easy for God. He changed his prayer point and asked God for three-wheeled vehicle. Again God delayed, and he changed his request to a two wheeled bicycle. Again God took his time, and the man finally asked God just for a one wheel machine- a wheel barrow of course. You wonder what really the praying man wanted from God. But his problem is apparent: he lacked persistence.
Another tale is shared of a person who frantically climbed up the ladder to the top and found out that he or she had not reached their desired destination. On investigation, they realised that the ladder was leaning against the wrong wall. Their problem too was obvious: they lacked intelligence.
The moral of the two tales is that success is frequently a result of intelligence combined with persistence. When we talk of persistence we refer to effort. And when we talk of intelligence we refer to ability. The trick of success is in the combination of effort and ability. Effort alone without basic ability will not yield desired results. Likewise, ability alone without effort will not yield desired results. It is said that Thomas Edison carried about ten thousand experiments before he succeeded in inventing an electric bulb. Some take this story to elevate the power of persistence. But that elevation of persistence is wrong if not accompanied with the recognition of the importance of ability. Thomas Edison was schooled in physics and was knowledgeable in the principles of electricity like conductivity and resistance. His ability directed his effort and his effort stimulated his ability.
Persistence means sticking with something until you get the desired results. And fainting means giving up, losing hope and quitting before you get the desired results. In most cases, the difference between success and failure is a reflection of the difference between persistence and fainting. Those who persist win, but those who faint fail. However, a word of caution is quite in order here: before you persist in something make sure it is the right thing, and your effort and ability towards attaining that seemingly impossible thing are realistic. Otherwise if something is not good, there is no sense in persisting in it. Furthermore, unrealistic expectations are the seed-bed for depression.
Apostle Paul encouraged the church at Galatia and the believers today to persist in doing good despite opposition, difficulties and setbacks. This scripture on persistence in well doing is located between teachings about sowing and serving other people especially members of the household of faith. If you analyse it, you will find that both sowing and serving people yield rewards but in most cases the rewards come after a long period; hence the need for persistence and perseverance. If you do not persist in sowing seeds you will faint or grow tired and you will not reap the desired harvest. Also, if you do not persist in doing good service to other people, you will give up on ungrateful and impatient people. But you will miss your due season of harvest because rewards follow service.
In life, intelligence or ability is easily gotten but it is persistence that we really need. We have the ability but we lack effort. If you ask people about how to make money, they have lots of viable ideas. If you ask people about getting God’s power to accomplish great exploits, they tell you that the way is prayer. But how many persist in prayer like Elijah until the results begin to show? They are very few and far between. Elijah was not only bold and expectant in prayer, he was also very persistent. He sent his servant six times to check for the first appearance of a cloud of the rain he was praying for and his servant came back and told him six times that he saw nothing. Elijah sent him one more time and that time a small cloud was seen and Elijah’s prayer ended. From the opening passage in Galatians we learn that increase is related to persistence in sowing. Without sowing seeds you may never see increase. Sowing good seeds leads to a bumper harvest. However, in all sowing, natural and spiritual, patience and persistence yield the desired results.
It was Mark Batterson, the author of the book The Circle Maker, who said it well, “It doesn’t matter whether it is athletics or academics, music or math: there are no short cuts or substitutes. Success is a derivative of persistence. Persistence is the magic bullet, and the magic number seems to be ten thousand.”
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