10,000 Hour Rule

     Malcolm Gladwell, in his book Outliers, describes the 10,000 hour rule.  This rule maintains that those who are very successful have spent 10,000 hours in learning or practicing their skills.  For example, Dr. Gladwell asserts that the soloist at the symphony practiced 10,000 hours, the musicians in the orchestra practiced 8,000 hours, and music teachers practiced 2,000.  To this discussion, Dr. Gladwell asserts that Mozart practice 10,000 hours to hone his musical skills.
    The 10,000 mile rule applies to every area of life.  In the computer world, Bill Gates, Steven Jobs, and Bill Joy all had 10,000 hours of practice (experience) with computers before they became icons in the technological age.  The best athletes also practiced for hours before they make it to the “big time.”
    Dr. Gladwell concludes that practice is essential to success.  If you and I really want to be good at what you do, it takes hours upon hours of practice.
    I am still in the glow of Reformation Sunday with its emphasis on Martin Luther’s interpretation of the Bible and the implications of that interpretation for daily living.  We are saved by God’s grace.  God has set us free from our dysfunctional behaviors (sin) to love and serve each other.  God is a “Mighty Fortress” so we have nothing to fear.  We are saved by faith and faith alone.  Paraphrasing Jeremiah, these truths are written on my heart.
    Within the glow of the Reformation, I am fully aware that faith is often a paradox.  With all of his emphasis on God’s grace, Luther also knew the 10,000 rule of practice in his life and in his writings.  Christians were and are to practice their faith on a daily basis.  There is not substitute for this practice according Luther and the teachings of the Lutheran Church.  Two examples follow:
    Luther taught that Christians should make the sign of the cross when they wake in the morning to remind themselves that they are followers of Jesus.  As followers of Jesus, all they say and do throughout the day is to give glory to their Lord.  In the evening, Christians make the sign of the cross to remind themselves that they will sleep peacefully with the protection of God.  Practice your faith twice a day, Luther taught.
    Luther taught that Christians should recite and meditate daily on the 10 Commandments, The Apostle’s Creed, and the Lord’s Prayer.  Using a medical metaphor, the 10 Commandments is the diagnosis identifying our sinful nature.  The Creed is the treatment God has for our sinful nature; i.e., Jesus who lived, died, and was raised to that we might have eternal life.  And, the Lord’s Prayer is the medication that we take daily.  The medication reminds us that God is our Father and the giver of all that we need.  (As a side note, Luther’s catechisms follow this format. The catechism begins with the 10 Commandments, followed by the Creed, followed by the Lord’s Prayer.)
    In conclusion, the temptation exists to deny the 10,000 hour rule of practice.  We substitute the fallacy that the Mozarts and Jobs of this world were just born with their skills.  We make the same assumption that people with great faith just happened to stumble onto their faith.  In contrast, Luther is right in teaching that those with great faith not only believe and rely on God’s grace but they also practice that faith by making the sign of the cross, meditating on the 10 Commandments, the Apostle’ Creed, and the Lord’s prayer.  According to Luther, practice is an essential part of building our faith.
Pastor Pete