Pour-Over: Looking at the List

I just wrapped up the intro post for a new Ten Essentials series — and as I looked at the list on my screen, I realized something unexpected: I believe in every single one ... but I also know how easily a list like this can become a burden. A new yardstick for failure. A low-grade source of shame. Or a trigger for the comparison trap where it feels like everyone else is miles ahead, while I’m still fumbling with my map at the trailhead.

This was fresh on my mind. Just last week, Ryan and I were recording a forthcoming Bible Geeks episode on Elijah’s burnout (1 Kings 19). We looked at some modern “hustle culture” quotes, and it struck me how easily the language of motivation can become a catalyst for shame. It’s one thing to have an ideal to aspire to — like Paul’s call to attain “the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Eph. 4:13) — but it’s another thing entirely to stare at the gap between that ideal and my own painfully palpable limitations.

It’s a good reminder that the stories of the faithful are filled with falterings, failures, and false starts. Elijah — fresh off his victory on Mount Carmel — ends up terrified and asking God to take his life. Peter denies Jesus three times and abandons him (John 13:38). David’s story includes catastrophic moral failure (2 Sam. 11). Their readiness wasn’t about perfect performance, but about their willingness to repent and return to the God who graciously provides.

And that’s the lens I need to bring to this series. That’s the lens I hope we can all share. This list of ten essentials isn’t a new set of burdens to shoulder. It’s a tour of God’s provision.

It’s not another checklist to perform or standard to compare ourselves against. It’s an inventory of the grace he provides for the journey — all laid out before us. When we’re lost, he offers the guidance of Scripture. When we’re in the dark, he provides the light of Christ. When we’re isolated and cold, he gives us the shared warmth of community.

The goal isn’t to be a master of all ten disciplines at once. As if we could be. It’s to be a follower of our Guide, who knows the terrain of our lives — our burnout, our weaknesses, our limits — and who gently points to the few essentials we need most for the path we’re on today (Eccl. 3).

For Elijah under the broom tree, the essentials were simple: food, water, and the quiet presence of God. That was enough to get him back on his feet.

So my prayer — for myself and anyone joining this journey — is that we can see this series for what it really is: not a checklist to achieve, but a storeroom of grace to draw from. One day, one step, one season at a time, with a Guide who equips us for every mile.

This post is a behind-the-scenes reflection on my latest article. You can read the full post here: Ten Essentials: Equipped for the Journey →