Sharpen Your Life

“If your axe is blunt and you don’t sharpen it, you have to work harder to use it.  It’s smarter to plan ahead.” ~ Ecclesiastes 10: 10

Pierre, a Canadian of French descent, made his living cutting down trees.  On a normal day, he could buck 50 or more.  At 20-something his pysique resembled chiseled granite.  A muscular, bushy haired, heavily tattooed Canook with a thick sun burnt neck, Pierre cut his tress close to the ground so that sleds might glide right over the stumps.   

Every morning before sunrise, Pierre hiked into the woods to plan his day’s work.  Once daylight cast its guiding light, Pierre would work continuously until sunset, almost never stopping for rest.

Over time, his productivity began to fall off.  Slowly but steadily, he felled fewer and fewer trees.  So he decided to increase his labor hours and started cutting before the sun rose and left well after dark.  Initially, with the added work hours, his results increased slightly, but eventually continued to decline.  The extra time proved senseless.  Pierre doubted his own strength and suspected that old age had arrived sooner than expected.

On occasion, he noticed another lumberjack working the same woods.  He watched from a distance the leaner man take frequent breaks, apparently to rest.  Mysteriously, this guy was more productive – 10 to 15 more wood trophies per day.  Interesting! 

Pierre approached the lumberman to learn his secret, greeting him with a hearty salutation.  The man immediately stopped working, and with a half-suppressed grin invited Pierre to sit along the trunk of the pine log he had just trimmed.  He peeled off some inner bark, rolled it into a ball and chewed it while he spoke.

“The secret is simple my friend,” the scrawnier woodcutter began.  “We work the same hours, use an identical axe, and deliver blows of nearly equal muscle.  But every hour, I take a short break to relax for a while.

Pierre interrupted.  “I don’t need time for rest – I am much younger, stronger and have greater endurance than you do old man!”

“True enough,” the more experienced lumberman replied, not fazed by the insult.  “During this rest period – I carefully hone my axe.  A razor-sharp tool enables me to cut deeper with less effort.  The occasional respite supplies strength and energy.  Sharpen your life, man!”

Isn’t this true in our daily lives also?  We’re so busy with work; we don’t find time to rest or sharpen our minds.  Prayer, meditation, reading good books, hobbies and healthy interaction with people help hone our character and spirituality.  ‘Workaholics’ like alcoholics become addicted to ‘effort’ and find no time to sharpen their brainpower.  Eventually, their lives turn dull and less prolific.  Wasted energy!

Lord Jesus, I want to see every challenge as an opportunity to showcase Your power and grace.  I want to slow down and invite You into this moment.  Today I’m going to pray rather than panic, using that time with You to sharpen my life.  Amen