What?
Yeah, I think Satan is one of the best examples of hard work ever. I love stories of people who don’t give up when everyone and everything in their life suggests otherwise. Some of the names that come to mind are people like, Kerri Strug, Steven Pressfield, Heather Dorniden, Epictetus, Jack Johnson and a host of others that escape me right now. But I think that there is no better character that fits this motif better than Satan. And when I talk of Satan, I mean the dude in Christianity. The OG Lucifer.
Think about it. First off, we’re told that he knows the bible better than humans do and knows its “truth”. Well, if that’s the case then surely, he has to know he is doomed at the end, right? It only follows. He is supposed to be way smarter than a human being, and if humans can understand this truth, then he definitely can.
Premise 1: Satan knows the bible better than any human.
Premise 2: Satan knows he is doomed.
Premise 3: Satan has been a witness to all the other events described in the bible.
Conclusion: Satan knows he loses at the end.
Now that we’ve established his knowledge of inevitable failure, what exactly makes him a great example. Well, here you have someone who’s been going hard since day one all the while being aware that it is all for naught. He knows he’s going down and yet he’s going hard at it all day every day. Basically, he does not rest for a moment, as hinted in 1 Peter 5:8.
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour. – 1 Peter 5:8
Either he is an absolute idiot, or he’s taken Ecclesiastes 9:10 to heart because this to me is the perfect embodiment of the sentiment expressed in Ecclesiastes 9:10.
Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest. – Ecclesiastes 9:10
Go hard or go home. Give your best no matter what. So, the next time you feel defeated, just think of Satan and his tenacity and keep at it :).
