The past few weeks have been extremely busy for me. I had to reprioritize my time to focus on closing some deals. So, I had to pause my weekly blogging. I have learned some key things in the brief pause about consistency, momentum, and breakthrough. The truth is no matter how long you have been doing something purposefully stopping slows down your momentum. I almost began to feel stuck. But I had to press through. So how did I do it? By understanding the principle of the “tipping point.”
Tipping Point Defined
A tipping point has several connotations. Dictionary.com defines the term as, “the crisis stage in a process when a significant change takes place.” It can also be defined as, “the culmination of a build-up of small changes that effects a big change” (dictionary.com). In essence, a tipping point is synonymous to what is called the “compounding effect.” That is consistent incremental action over time.
Malcolm Gladwell, the author of the book bearing the name, The Tipping Point, explains how “little things can make a big difference.” In an interview, Gladwell comments that when asked what he hopes readers will take away from his book. He notes:[1]
One of the things I’d like to do is to show people how to start “positive” epidemics of their own. The virtue of an epidemic, after all, is that just a little input is enough to get it started, and it can spread very, very quickly. That makes it something of obvious and enormous interest to everyone from educators trying to reach students, to businesses trying to spread the word about their product, or for that matter to anyone who’s trying to create a change with limited resources (Gladwell.com).
Tipping Points and Faithfulness
There are many individuals in scripture who created tipping points through faithfulness so that God could superimpose His “appointed time” or “set time” i.e. kairos on our tipping points so breakthrough and victory, and success can occur.
Joshua & Jericho
Joshua led the Army of Israel under God’s instruction to go around Jericho six times in six days (Joshua 6:14), on the seventh day, they went around Jericho seven times. It was the seventh time around that God caused the walls to come down so they could take the city. In the natural, it probably seemed like an exercise in futility, but it was truly an exercise in faith (Heb. 11:30). They were faithful until they reached their “tipping point.”
Hannah & Samuel
Hannah believed God for a child for several years. She could not have children and to make matters more challenging, her husband’s other wife taunted her and provoked her to the point of sadness. However, Hannah created the capacity for a tipping point when she vowed to the Lord that if she gets a son, she would dedicate him back to Him. She travailed in prayer and the Lord responded when her tipping point had been reached and she had Samuel, the Prophet (1 Sam. 1:20). Hannah was faithful in prayer until she reached her tipping point.
Paul & Silas
Paul & Silas also created an opportunity to reach their tipping point when they demonstrated faithfulness through praise and worship while in Jail. Their tipping point came at midnight while they were worshipping (Acts 16:25-26). Notice that their tipping point of praise and worship, while it manifested in deliverance, also brought exponential salvation to the jailer and his household (Acts 16:33-34). Paul & Silas remained faithful while in jail and demonstrated their faithfulness through worship. Their worship became the tipping point for their deliverance.
Tipping Point and Purpose
Getting the concept of the tipping point will help you re-start things that you have stopped doing to operate and fulfill your purpose. The truth is that what you have done up to this point must not be perceived as time and effort wasted. You can launch from where you have stopped with a fresh perspective and a keen eye toward your purpose. You don’t have to have to re-start big; just start. When you do this, you will begin to move closer to where you need to be. It’s the little things. Let’s go!
[1] Gladwell.com (n.d.). What is the tipping point? Retrieved on Thursday, December 6, 2012, from http://www.gladwell.com/tippingpoint/