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Cal's Pastoral Epistles
"It Takes Time and Patience"
July 15, 2009
I probably should have been offended by the comments I got. Six times I
mentioned that I was going to apply stain to our deck and six times I got
incredulous looks. One friend said, "You! Why are you doing it?" Another
friend said matter-of-factly, "Wow. You think you can do it?" A third friend
laughed and said, "Lori is letting you have a paint brush? Is she feeling
alright?"
I guess I set myself up for this kind of response. I have made it a point
to play up my ineptitude for doing even the simplest of handyman tasks.
Whether on the mission field in Mexico or working with the Property
Committee at church, I always joke about the fact that I'm not sure which
end of the hammer I am supposed to use.
The truth is that I am not very good at this kind of stuff. I can do it but I
don't have much patience and I 'm not willing to invest the time in it. Those
are two of the key ingredients to doing any job well.
Craftsmen take the time to learn their trade. They may have natural
abilities but they also spend a lot of time honing their skills. Even the "Do it
yourself" types like my wife, Lori, read up on the projects they want to do
and then block out the time to do the job.
I blocked out three hours to stain the deck on Tuesday. With the radio
belting out my favorite tunes I went right to work. I learned two things
right away. First, the job was a lot bigger than I had imagined. Second, as
long as I had patience and took the time to do it right, I could do the job.
It is the same thing with living a life that honors God. Some people have
this notion that being faithful to God means having to be perfect. So they
give up on the idea. They joke about being heathens or godless. They never
bother to go any deeper or to reach out to God.
The truth is that none of us will ever be perfect but that shouldn't stop us
from seeking God. There is a wideness in God's mercy that reaches out to
us and invites us to walk through life with Him. There is a blessing in doing
so. That blessing comes as we patiently and faithfully put in the time to
follow him. So what are you waiting for? Get out there and you'll be
surprised at what you can do.
God bless. See you in church. Cal
July 15, 2009
I probably should have been offended by the comments I got. Six times I
mentioned that I was going to apply stain to our deck and six times I got
incredulous looks. One friend said, "You! Why are you doing it?" Another
friend said matter-of-factly, "Wow. You think you can do it?" A third friend
laughed and said, "Lori is letting you have a paint brush? Is she feeling
alright?"
I guess I set myself up for this kind of response. I have made it a point
to play up my ineptitude for doing even the simplest of handyman tasks.
Whether on the mission field in Mexico or working with the Property
Committee at church, I always joke about the fact that I'm not sure which
end of the hammer I am supposed to use.
The truth is that I am not very good at this kind of stuff. I can do it but I
don't have much patience and I 'm not willing to invest the time in it. Those
are two of the key ingredients to doing any job well.
Craftsmen take the time to learn their trade. They may have natural
abilities but they also spend a lot of time honing their skills. Even the "Do it
yourself" types like my wife, Lori, read up on the projects they want to do
and then block out the time to do the job.
I blocked out three hours to stain the deck on Tuesday. With the radio
belting out my favorite tunes I went right to work. I learned two things
right away. First, the job was a lot bigger than I had imagined. Second, as
long as I had patience and took the time to do it right, I could do the job.
It is the same thing with living a life that honors God. Some people have
this notion that being faithful to God means having to be perfect. So they
give up on the idea. They joke about being heathens or godless. They never
bother to go any deeper or to reach out to God.
The truth is that none of us will ever be perfect but that shouldn't stop us
from seeking God. There is a wideness in God's mercy that reaches out to
us and invites us to walk through life with Him. There is a blessing in doing
so. That blessing comes as we patiently and faithfully put in the time to
follow him. So what are you waiting for? Get out there and you'll be
surprised at what you can do.
God bless. See you in church. Cal
Pastor Cal Lord writes these weekly epistles to
help us see God in every day things.
help us see God in every day things.
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