We have talked about the importance of the mind and emotions in working heartiley, but we can’t talk about how to work heartily without talking about the will. As they say, “Where there’s a will there’s a way,” and while that is not always true, it often is.

Certainly where there is no will there is no way because without our will we would be slaves to our emotions or victims of our mind. When it comes to keeping our mind and emotions in order, our will is indispensable.

The force of the will

The will is the force that drives one to begin working, continue working, and finish the job. It is the sparker on the grill that starts the flame and the initial push that overcomes the temptation to procrastinate. Our will is the drive that keeps us at our desk when we are tempted to take a break, quit for the day, or quit for good.

The will keeps us moving ahead when our emotions are telling us to check out, and our will keeps us trying when our mind tells us what we are trying to do cannot be done. The Bible talks about taking “every thought captive to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5), which certainly suggests our will is able to control our mind.

Our will is the rock to the scissors and paper of our mind and emotions–when engaged, our will directs the former and overrides the latter. Our will directs our mind and corrals our emotions to pull them into alignment with the task at hand. Without the force of our will, we would all be failures.

An example

In law school, the professors intentionally assign more reading than one person can reasonably do. This helps train students to become lawyers by teaching them how to prioritize, quickly get to the holding in a case, and disregard what doesn’t matter. This also helps students learn how to deal with the stress that will almost certainly be present in their future jobs as lawyers.

When I was in law school, there were many times I would sit down in my study carrel with my books and the sheer amount of reading for that day was paralyzing. My emotions were usually of no help. This was a challenge that affected those at the top of the the class and those at the bottom.

Through sheer will, though, I would start. I would pick up the first book and start reading, and before I knew it it was 2 or 3 hours later, and I was finished. It took the brute force of my will to get me started though. Here is something that is undeniably true: He who starts working will often finish, but he who does not start will never finish.

The driver of diligence

When working in conjunction with our mind and emotions, our will ensures a wholehearted effort. The manifestation of one’s will, when it is strong, is something to watch. 

Some refer to it as tenacity, determinedness, or in its more tame state, diligence or discipline. Diligence is consistent effort over time. The will is the engine of diligence.

“The will is the engine of diligence.”

When supercharged by the power of the Holy Spirit our will becomes an even more formidable force, enabling us to work when others wouldn’t start and to continue when others would quit. Our will is an essential part of doing our work wholeheartedly.

Activating and enhancing the will

There is, however, little to say about how to activate the will. Perhaps the best approach was articulated by the marketing geniuses at Nike, “Just do it.” Or to put a Biblical spin on it via the prophet Isaiah, we are to set our face “like flint” to do God’s will in our work. Isaiah 50:7.

Often, though, just knowing our will is there, and that it can overpower our emotional and intellectual rationalizations against working, working hard, or being thorough, is enough to activate it.

And when our will seems inadequate to the task, like the Apostle Paul we can seek Him whose grace is sufficient because His power is perfected in our weakness. 2 Corinthians 12:7-9. This grace is the not forgiveness that awaits our failure but the power that responds to our petition, enabling us to do more than we could do in our own strength. It is God’s grace that enhances our will.

Where there is a will there is often a way; and when there is no will, there is the Lord, and His grace is sufficient. GS