What’s Your RCP Scors
Let's start with a confession: I have started approximately 1,223 workout routines. I have owned three sets of free weights, two workout benches, two treadmills (one of which I still own and only gets used when my disciplined daughters are home), a mini trampoline, a rowing machine, a stationary bike (which is aptly named), and a gym membership I pay for monthly like it's a subscription to guilt. I have declared my workout area a judgment-free zone. I don’t judge it, and it doesn’t judge me. I keep it in the basement where I can’t see it.
Turns out I'm not alone — research tracking millions of app users found that most New Year's resolutions to exercise fizzle out by the second week of February, with quitting rates climbing steadily after day 10. We are a species that loves to start. We are far less skilled at staying. If there were such a thing as a “Quitters Club,” I could be president!
That gap between starting and staying is where I want to take you today, using three words that sound like a TED Talk. Resistance. Consistency. Persistence.
Here's the interesting part. All three of these words come from the same Latin root: sistere, which means "to stand." Placed together, they form a powerful formula for life change.
Re-sistere — to stand against. Resistance.
Con-sistere — to stand together. Consistency.
Per-sistere — to stand through. Persistence.
Same root. Three completely different postures. And your whole life — your health, your marriage, your business, your faith — is being shaped right now by how well you understand which posture on a given life issue needs to be addressed.
Here’s why: we try to resist the things we should persist through, and we try to persist through the things we should resist. For instance, some of us white-knuckle our way through a bad relationship (should've resisted). We quit our diet the first time we pass Dunkn’ (should've persisted). We could have met budget, but our consistency lies with Amazon. Wrong tool, wrong job, every time.
Let’s dig a little deeper into the RCP formula.
R — What Are You Standing Against?
Resistance is your "no." It's the boundary. Paul put it plainly in Ephesians 6:13: "Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground." Notice — he doesn't say run from it, negotiate with it, or post a strongly worded status about it. Stand against it.”
What’s that look like for you?
Perhaps it’s scroll session at 11 p.m. that turns into 90 minutes? You won’t be getting a full night’s sleep again tonight.
Maybe it’s a relationship that drains you every single time, but you still answer that number on your phone.
How about the credit card you "just keep for emergencies"? Your card statement looks like everything is an emergency.
It’s aisle 7 in the grocery store, and the entire length is a carb fest. But you keep turning the cart that direction.
Name it.
Resistance only works when you know exactly what you're standing against — vague resistance is just guilt wearing a costume.
Put your phone out of your sight at ten. Block that caller. Cut the credit card in two. Turn your head the other way until you get to aisle 8.
Set a plan to resist before the temptation arrives.
C — What Requires You to Stand Together?
Consistency is the quiet hero of every success story. Most of us are familiar with the “10,000 hour” rule. Generally speaking, we must repeat something many times before it becomes natural behavior.
Consistency literally means to "stand together" — with your future self, with the people counting on you, with the promises you made when you felt inspired instead of tired.
For instance, Hebrews 10:24-25 calls Christians to consistency. The writer says, “25 And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, . . .” Christianity is a team sport, and if you consistently forgo gathering with others of faith, you’ll find yours slipping.
Consistency was never meant to be a solo endeavor. Show me someone who's consistent for a decade, and I'll show you someone with people standing next to them. People most often fail when they try to go it alone.
But, consistency also has another meaning. It refers to maintaining a focused, stable mind. It means that we choose a direction and stay on course. It means we remove distractions that lead us away from where we want to go.
We keep a consistent mindset when we feed ourselves information that aligns with our desired goals. For instance, if you want to overcome a bad habit or something wrong, you will fare better spending time reading the Bible rather than scrolling through Facebook posts or Instagram feeds. Social media often takes our minds everywhere but the place we want to be.
P — What Requires You to Stand Through?
Persistence is different from consistency, and mixing them up will wreck you. Consistency is the daily rhythm. Persistence is what carries you through the seasons when that rhythm is challenged.
For instance, Jesus consistently spent alone time with God. But the demands of His schedule sapped His energy. Everybody wanted a piece of Him. If He responded to every request, even the Son of God would become spiritually depleted. So, He regularly snuck away from the crowds and the disciples to get His bucket filled through quiet time with His Father. And He was persistent. He allowed no one to rob Him of this life-giving relationship. Consistency relies on persistence.
Thomas Edison famously reframed 10,000 failed prototypes of the light bulb, not as 10,000 failures but as 10,000 ways that didn't work — and then kept going. Whether he actually said it exactly that way is debated by historians, but the light bulb he eventually built is not. Edison was a persistent scientist.
Persistence doesn't feel like winning while you're doing it. It just feels like standing when sitting down would be so much easier. Galatians 6:9 backs this up directly: So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up."
I’ve lived by a personal saying much of my life. It’s worth repeating here. Just go on anyway! There will be many times in our lives when persistence – going on anyway – is the right answer.
So — What's Your RCP Score?
Here's the exercise. Take an honest inventory of your life right now — your health, your finances, your relationships, your faith, your career — and ask three questions for each area:
Resistance: What do I need to stand against here
Consistency: What do I need to stand together on, daily, both mentally, and with others?
Persistence: What do I need to stand through, even when it's slow?
Score yourself honestly, 1 to 10, for each. You're not aiming for a perfect 30. You're seeking clarity on which posture you keep getting wrong. Most people don't fail because they lack willpower — they fail because they resist the wrong things and quit on the right ones.
Nehemiah rebuilt Jerusalem's wall in 52 days, facing mockery, threats, and outright sabotage (Nehemiah 6:15) — because he knew exactly what to resist (the enemies trying to distract him), what to remain consistent in (showing up to build, brick by brick), and what to persist through (the fear that it wouldn't work). Same root word. Same "stand." Different postures, applied wisely.
You don't need a new personality to change your life. You need to know when to plant your feet, when to link arms, and when to just keep standing. That's your RCP Score. Find out what it is, then address it appropriately. You will end up one step closer to where you want to be.
A year and a half ago, I hired a fitness trainer. His services are expensive, but they are likely the best money I spend. I go twice a week, as recommended for older folks like me, and he runs me through about 25 resistance exercises, including weightlifting, in half an hour. He also requires me to do the dreaded “plank hold,” which is the worst two minutes of my life each week. I also walk a couple of miles a day or two a week, though not consistently. One opponent at a time!
I have been a weightlifter most of my life, but I lost the “want to” a few years ago. I just couldn’t handle the second letter of the RCP formula – consistency. So I finally addressed the issue. I decided I needed the “together” part of the formula. Some days I hate visiting Chad, but I hate calling off even more. Research shows that people who exercise with someone are more likely to do so consistently and for the long haul. I think the research is right.
He says I am as strong as a horse for my age, but I could lose a lot of weight to be better off. So far, I’ve only figured out one half of the physical fitness formula. I am working my muscles and joints as recommended, but my appetite, the “R” in the eating formula, is a formidable foe.
For now, I’m just happy I’ve gotten one part right. I am far better off than I was a year ago, and who knows, maybe someday I’ll decipher the eating well code.
I love that God created us in such a way that we always desire to do better in some aspect of our lives. But, we usually improve one issue at a time. That’s okay.
So, pick an aspect of your life you want to improve, do the RCP test, and get to work. You’ll be glad you did.
Live Inspired!
Don Mark
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