Plateaus - Positive or Negative

From My Perspective - - -

A Plateau is an interesting consideration. If one is climbing a steep hill or mountain and reaches a plateau, one of three things can occur: (1) look at where you’ve been and decide to return there; or (2) look at where you’ve yet to ascend and decide to press onward to get there; or (3) decide to do neither and just stay where you’ve already arrived. In a way, that’s the story of life – look at where you’ve been and decide to return; look at the challenge that is ahead and decide not to try to go ahead; accept where you’ve arrived and let that be a comfort zone, refuge and ones new habitat. The dictionary allows for those possibilities and alternatives. What is a Plateau?

1. Topographically, a land area having a relatively level surface considerably raised above adjoining land on at least one side, and often cut by deep canyons.
2. Basically, a period or state of little or no growth or decline: to reach a plateau in one's career.
3. Psychologically, a period of little or no apparent progress in an individual's learning, marked by an inability to increase speed, reduce number of errors, etc., and indicated by a horizontal stretch in a learning curve or graph.

Usually, a Plateau is not a good thing or a good place to stop and be satisfied there. In some instances, it could be – in most, it is not. Someone summarized how the average life is lived and suggested a twenty-sixty-twenty theory – namely - that twenty percent of one’s life has experienced being in the pits; twenty percent of one’s life is lived at or near the mountain-peak; whereas, sixty percent of most lives is lived somewhere in between the pits and the peaks. It is a guess at best but it may prove to be very close to the true situation of most people. The key to life is to set realistic goals and to pursue those goals vigorously. The adage is correct that says: “If you aim at nothing, you will hit that target every time.” For our purposes, the focus will be on one part of the definition for Plateau: “a period of little or no apparent progress in an individual's learning…” We can attach – there would also be little evidence of movement or growth. It could easily become a place that is stagnant and causing growth would be stilted (when used as an adjective, it has a meaning: “not flowing continuously or naturally…”).How should a person live his or her life?

There are three suggestions from the New Testament:

(1) The Ministry of Jesus Christ where set forth the parameters for anyone who be a disciple of His – Luke 9:23-26, “Jesus said to them all: If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self ? If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. The focus was to be the daily act – take up the cross daily and follow.

(2) The Ministry of the Apostle Paul – Galatians 6:7-9, “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” The focus is the principal of sowing and reaping. No sowing – No Reaping! It is the constancy of effort and care and productivity.

(3) The Ministry of the Apostle James – James 2:14 where a basic question is raised, “What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?” The focus is on Faith that is coupled to Action. It’s more than just a belief system – it involves practical involvement in the lives of people, those with need both within and outside of the household of Faith.

It is too easy to seek and become comfortable at a Plateau. This may be a reason why Paul expressed his desire in Philippians 3:13-14, “…one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” We need to have that same desire and vigor. In Joshua 14, Caleb is 85 years of age and ready for his inheritance – he doesn’t seek a plateau but a mountain. What an example! What a man! Consider these things with me!