According to Mark Twain, if you ever have to eat a live frog, it’s best done first thing in the morning. I know this scenario is awfully unlikely, but it’s good advice nonetheless. Why eat the live frog first thing in the morning, you ask? Because you can go through the rest of your day knowing the hardest task is behind you!
What to-do list items are you most tempted to procrastinate on? What goals have you had forever but not taken the first step toward? What difficult decision have you been delaying? That, my friend, is your frog! Give yourself a deadline; then get started. That is the third habit, and it’s a hard one to swallow. Sorry—I couldn’t resist.
The bottom line? You can’t just pray like it depends on God. You also have to work like it depends on you. If you want God to do the super, you’ve got to do the natural. And you have to start first thing in the morning.
How you start the day sets the tone for the rest of it, yet many of us never give the morning a second thought beyond getting out the door on time. Our morning rituals are as unplanned as an earthquake. Is that the best way to start the day? That’s sounding the retreat before the day even begins.
Jesus made the most of the early part of the day. Mark 1 gives one example: “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” On another occasion, before appointing his disciples in the morning, he prayed all night.
What’s the one thing you least like to do, but you feel best about afterward? That’s your frog. It’s often the hardest habit to establish, but it pays the biggest dividends. Whatever it is, you’ve got to figure out a morning routine that works for you. And, I might add, one that works for your spouse and your kids and your dog and your boss.
If you want to win the day, you’ve got to attack the day.
It’s time to eat the frog!
Think on this: If you want God to do the super, you’ve got to do the natural.
And that’s the memo.
By Mark Batterson
