Staying Sharp

Scripture

If an iron axhead is blunt and a workman does not sharpen its edge,
he must exert a great deal of effort.

~Ecclesiastes 10:10, NET

Quote

Workaholics are not hero’s who save the day…generally, they are dull people who spend the day doing something the hard way.

~Ya’akov

My daddy was a hard worker and that is not a put down; it was all he knew. He was never interested in a better way because he had his own way. I am a lot like him; I’ve been known to start a job with a dull saw. If you take the time to sharpen the ax, the tree will be much easier to cut down. It will actually take less effort and less time if you begin by sharpening your tools. We had a discussion last night in the kitchen at GP about this very thing. Everyone sells these cheap knives that you cannot sharpen. I bought a knife sharpener just a couple of weeks ago. We don’t have a knife that will cut through the plastic wrapping around the sausage. Every morning, I sharpen the knife before I cut the sausage. I sure don’t want to go to the woods with a dull chain saw. We all understand the principle Solomon is expounding when it comes to working: it is OK to work hard but even better to work smart. The assembly line discovered and patented by Henry Ford is a classic example, but this verse may apply to life itself.

Just as a knife or ax can get dull over time, so can life. If our life is dull, we need to stop and sharpen the edges. A dull edge is not focused; it doesn’t come to a narrow point. Does your life have a single {narrow} focus or is it spread out in many directions with an unclear purpose. What if you run yourself to death trying to please everyone around you and then at the end of the day, you are frustrated because you didn’t please yourself. There is such a thing as trying to do too much. You can’t be all things to all people. To sharpen your life, narrow the focus. Make Christ the point of everything you do. Make pleasing HIM the aim of your life. My purpose statement is very brief and simple…My goal is life is to please [obey] Jesus. My goal is not to pastor a church, write a blog or spend the holidays with my family in the mountains. Never put anything, not even good things, between you and your goal. Even if they fire me at the POINT and June gives me a divorce, I can still accomplish my goal. You can’t let humans block your goal. Narrow your focus and become sharp.

EXTRA

Little Chloe is home sick; she has the stomach virus. When I called to check on her she had a joke for me. Here goes…How much did Santa’s sleigh cost?…Give up! It cost nothing, it was on the house. Ha! This is Chloe’s last Christmas to be the baby: next year we will have J.W. {Jackson Webb} and J.T. {John Titon}. I am going to coach them to call Hannah granny and Troy can be grand paw. That would be really cute! Have a good day and enjoy this weather.

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