THE BRIDGE BETWEEN KNOWING AND DOING

The Tension Where Truth Lives | Season One, Episode Eight

Most of us don’t need more information. We need the courage to implement what we already know.

Pastor Charles Howse talks about the tension between knowing and doing — and why change rarely comes from another idea, but from one decision made again and again. If you’ve been waiting for a breakthrough, maybe the next step is already in front of you.

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Welcome to The Tension Where Truth Lives. I'm Pastor Charles Howes, and I am so glad you decided to spend a few minutes with me today. Honestly, before we even dive in, I have a small favor to ask. If you enjoy these conversations, or if you think someone in your life might benefit from hearing this, take a quick second and share this episode. You never know who might be waiting for a conversation just like this one. Today we are continuing season one with episode eight, and I want to start by asking you a question that might feel a little uncomfortable. Have you ever noticed how often we say the exact same things to ourselves? I'm talking about those mental loops we get stuck in. You know the ones. I need to get back to the gym, I really need to call my mom, I need to save more money this month, for real this time. Or maybe it's the classic, I need to get more sleep, or I need to slow down and take better care of myself. We say these things over and over like a broken record in the back of our minds, right? But here is the interesting part, the part that really caught my attention lately. We rarely, if ever, say the words, I don't know what to do. Think about that for a second. Is that your struggle? I've been pastoring people for nearly 40 years now. That's a long time to sit across from people in their hardest moments. And I can honestly count on one hand the number of times someone has said, Pastor, I have no idea what to do. The truth is, most of us already know. We know the next step, we know the conversation we need to have. The challenge we face isn't information. No, the real challenge is implementation. I believe this is one of the greatest tensions we face as human beings. We live in a world that is absolutely overflowing with information. I mean, it's everywhere. We have more access to knowledge than any generation in history. Think about it. I can learn how to fix a complex car engine just by looking at my phone. I can learn a brand new language while I'm driving to work. I can learn to cook a gourmet meal from a 60-second video. We can watch a video, read a book, listen to a podcast, attend a seminar, or take an online class. Information has never been easier to find. It's literally at our fingertips 24 hours a day. Yet somehow our lives don't always change at the same pace as our knowledge. We're accumulating all this data, but the needle isn't moving. Why is that? Why is there such a massive gap? Well, it's because knowing and doing are two very different things. They live in different neighborhoods. I don't think most of us are stuck because we don't know enough. I think we're stuck because implementation is demanding. See, implementation asks something of us that information never does. Information is easy. It just asks for your attention. It wants your eyes and your ears for a few minutes. But implementation that asks for your life. Implementation requires consistency when you don't feel motivated. It requires discipline when nobody is watching and nobody is there to clap for you. It's about making a choice today and then making that same choice again tomorrow. And you have to keep making that choice when the initial feeling is gone. That is so much harder than watching another video or reading another book. Honestly, it's exhausting sometimes, isn't it? I know this because I've had those same conversations with myself. I'm not immune to this. I've had them at 4 a.m. when the alarm goes off and the house is cold. My brain starts negotiating with me. In those moments, I'm not having conversations about what I should learn next. I'm having conversations about what I already know. The truth is, I already know what helps me feel better and perform at my best. I know that drinking water instead of soda makes a difference. I know a walk outside is better for my soul than scrolling through social media. I know being in bed by 10 is better than staying up until midnight. I already know what helps me become healthier. I already know what strengthens my relationships. I already know what brings peace into my life instead of chaos. The question isn't whether I know, not at all. The question is whether I will actually implement what I already know. Hmm. Maybe that's exactly where you are today. Maybe you've been waiting for another breakthrough, another big idea, or some hidden secret. But what if the next step has been sitting right in front of you for a long time? What if you don't need a new answer? I talked to a man last week who was just brilliant. Truly a high-level thinker. He could quote books to me about leadership, finance, marriage, and health. He was a walking encyclopedia of self-improvement, but when I asked him, what's one thing you know you should do this week, he got quiet. He looked at me and said, Pastor Howes, I know exactly what to do. I just haven't done it. That hit me hard. It was such a vulnerable, honest admission. We are all that man sometimes, aren't we? Maybe the answer for you today isn't more information. Maybe the answer is just one implementation, just one. What would happen if you stopped searching and started starting? Let's think about what that looks like. It could be one phone call to the person you need to forgive. You know who they are. It could be one walk around the block after dinner tonight, just one. Or maybe one apology you've been rehearsing for months. It might be choosing one healthy meal instead of what's easy and fast. It could be reading one chapter of a book before you turn on the TV, or simply one decision to put your phone down at the dinner table. It's about one beginning, just one. Because movement creates momentum. And momentum has a way of changing things that sitting still never will. Once you start moving, the next step becomes so much clearer. I've also realized something else about implementation that we don't like to admit. It doesn't usually feel exciting, it's not flashy, it doesn't trend on social media. Nobody posts a picture of their fifth day of drinking water. Implementation is repetitive, it's ordinary, honestly. It's kind of boring. It's making the same good decision over and over again until one day you look back and realize your entire life has changed. That change doesn't happen because of one dramatic, cinematic moment. It happens because of a thousand small moments that nobody applauded. We celebrate the big breakthroughs, but life is actually built through small decisions. I watched my dad do this for years. He had the same breakfast every morning, he spent the same quality time with mom. He went to the same job and showed the same faithfulness day in and day out. There was nothing flashy about his routine. He wasn't trying to be an influencer. But thirty years later, his life preached a louder sermon than any words could. His consistency was his masterpiece, and maybe that's encouraging to you today, I hope it is. Because it means you don't have to fix your whole life today. You don't have to solve every single problem this week. That's too much pressure. You don't have to become a completely different person by tomorrow morning. You just have to implement one thing you already know. Just one. That's where the real magic happens. In that single step of obedience. Maybe that's where change begins. Not with another idea, but with another decision. So before this day is over, I want to leave you with one simple question, and I want you to actually answer it out loud if you can. What is one thing you already know that you've been postponing? Don't think about next month, don't think about next Monday. Don't wait until life slows down. Because we both know it never really does. What is that one thing you can do today? Because information can point us in the right direction, like a compass, but implementation is the only thing that actually moves us forward toward the destination. This is Pastor Charles Howes, and this is the tension where truth lives. I really hope this gives you some food for thought as you go about your day. Remember, you have everything you need to take that first step. If you're not following us yet, I hope you'll join us for the next conversation. Every week we explore the place where real life and real truth meet. It's often a messy place, but it's where we grow. You can also visit us at thetentionwhere truth lives.org for more resources and episodes. I'd love to connect with you there and hear your stories of implementation. Until next time, take care of yourself. Be kind to yourself as you try these new things, and most importantly, take care of each other. I'll talk to you soon.