Smarter, Not Harder

Early yesterday morning I picked up my chainsaw and began cutting a very large hickory stump that stuck up in the middle of my lawn. After mowing around it for twenty years, I decided it had to be taken to the ground. It didn’t take me long to discover that the stump was very hard and my chain was very dull. Sweat was pouring from my red face to the ground, so that it was hard to even see well. Wisdom told me that it would be better to sharpen the chain three times, rather than break my back by trying to save time and cut with a dull saw.

How many times have we tried to overcome a spiritual problem in our lives the same old dull way? Though it never worked well for us, we keep trying the same old way…hoping for different results.

What do we call it if someone keeps on flipping the switch when a light does not come on, hoping maybe the next flip will make it work? We call that crazy, right? Wisdom would cause that person to try something else. In my reading through Ecclesiastes, I came on this verse with some very practical advice.

“If your ax is dull and you don't sharpen it, you have to work harder to use it.

It is smarter to plan ahead.”

Ecclesiastes 10:10  GNB

I would jump off the haymow of a barn to the floor without climbing the ladder, because it was quicker. Granted the landing was a fairly hard jolt on my feet and back, but it saved me the time it took to take the ladder. One day my dad saw me jump and told me, “you may save some time right now, but you could very well pay for it with back and joint problems for the rest of your life.”  How wise dad was. It pays to plan ahead and not just live our lives for the immediate pleasure of the moment.

A good gardener would know to keep his shovels and hoes sharpened. Working with a dull hoe would amount to pounding weeds rather than slicing through them, and a blunt spade will stop at roots and hard soil, whereas a sharp one will cut right through them.

Are we walking around with dull axes?  Are we less effective than we used to be? Are we simply going through the motions of serving God because of being near burnout and total exhaustion? That is not the way God intends for us to live. Of course, there are times when more work is required, more energy is spent, and you will be tired. How do we avoid this rut? Is it possible to have a great marriage, a strong sense of purpose, a successful job, a ministry that pleases God, and still enjoy life? I believe we can. The secret is found in keeping a sharp ax.
That is exactly what needs to be done with our relationships with God and people. It is far more effective to invest time and effort into these relationships before we feel the need for any help; rather than expecting our friends and family members to help us at a moments notice when they haven’t heard from us for a very long time! Sound familiar anyone? How many of you know it is harder to restore a broken relationship than it is to maintain one. I believe one of the keys to keeping our spiritual axes sharpened is by reading God’s Word.

“For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword…”  (Hebrews 4:12)

So, let’s work smarter…not harder, by daily reading God’s Word. Life will not be dull when we are sharpened by the word of God.
Al Yoder