Burn The Ships & Toss The Diapers
I’ve learned from Jesus, Julius Caesar, and my wife, that sometimes to make important changes in life, we need to remove all other options.
In the ninth chapter of Luke’s Gospel, Jesus tells his followers, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must take up their cross (lay their everything down) daily and follow me.” A few verses later he tells them, “No one who puts their hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the service in the Kingdom of God.”
Following Jesus, according to Jesus, is an all or nothing proposition.
Later, in Luke 18, Jesus tells a wealthy young man who wants to be his disciple, to first go and sell everything he has – everything he relies on and finds a sense of security and significance in – give the money to the poor, and “come follow me.” In other words, destroy all your back up plans and options first and then follow me. You’re in all the way or not at all.
Julius Caesar, a very different sort of character than Jesus, also took this same leadership approach some years earlier. In 55 BC, Caesar landed an armada of soldiers near the beaches of Dover, England with the intent of invading and conquering the island. His men were intimidated by the Celtic warriors they saw lining the cliffs overhead, and had even positioned the boats to be ready for a hasty retreat if need be. Seeing this, and not liking what it meant for the fighting morale of his men, Caesar had all the ships unloaded and burned to ashes. This gesture sent a clear message to both his men and his enemies: there would be no retreat, they were all in, do or die.
All these years later, I see this same tactic with my wife, a veteran mom, as she potty trains our two-year-old son. No pull-ups for this guy (unless he is sleeping). Potty training day has come and the diapers are gone. Poop is either going in the potty or somewhere else – but never again in a diaper. A pants-less boy unabashedly plays and explores throughout our home and all of a sudden his poo poos are going in the potty – except for that one time when he brought his little nuggets to us in his hands – but they weren’t in a diaper.
Sometimes to make important changes in life, we need to remove all other options. Sometimes we need to burn the ships, get rid of all our stuff, or toss the diapers.
Is there something like this in your life? A job you need to quit, a relationship that you need to end, a public declaration you need to make, a plane ticket you need to buy, or a phone call you need to make?
Whatever it is you need to do, I know you’ll feel so much more focused, clear-minded, and committed when you do.
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