We usually hated to go to bed as kids…
Bedtime always was announced when we wanted to watch one more cartoon or
Bonanza or The Jackie Gleason Show. Occasionally though, there was a bed time
story. The old saying is true that “a spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go
down… in a most delightful way”, and a bed time story made bedtime better.
One of our favorites was the story of the turtle (or was it Tortoise) and the hare. Most of us pre-video game and i-pad generation, remember that story. One day this particular rabbit was bragging about how fast he was to all his friends. The turtle heard him and
said he could beat him in a race. Well, this crawled all over the rabbit, and his reputation was on the line (as well as a bucket of pride), so he accepted the challenge and added a few little statements on just how bad he would beat the turtle. Everyone prepared for the event. Finally the day came for the race, and the two racers got ready to run. “Get ready!” “Set” “Go!” With a cloud of dust, the rabbit leaves the turtle behind, and gets so far ahead of the turtle, that he decides to stop and take a nap. The turtle slowly but surely moves forward toward the finish line. Then the rabbit wakes up and looks around and sees the turtle has passed him and is close to the finish. The rabbit puts all
his energy into running as fast as he can, but the turtle, even though he was tired, never stopped… and he won.
Now this is my version of this fable, but it’s what I remember, and it has come to my mind at sometimes when things get tough.
There’s some good lessons here… 1.) Finish what you start. Still struggling with this one, but it’s a good rule to incorporate. If you start something that’s good, or necessary… finish it. I have to confess fighting the urge to begin several jobs at a time, and then getting bogged down. So many things need to be done. Usually I just sit and
make a list of these things, and number them in order of importance. Finishing the job hated the most really helps. 2.) Slow isn’t always bad (except when you’re working on a commercial airline repair crew… “time is money”). Yes, being slow can be a real pain at times, but the idea is to set a good pace and keep with it. This is tied to the next point,
3.) Make the most of who you are and stop trying to be something you are not. You are special and you have certain talents and gifts… use them to the best you can. Weaknesses can be worked on and improved. Speed comes with experience. 4.) Slow doesn’t always loose, and fast doesn’t always win. Fast sometimes brings carelessness
and mistakes. Taking the ‘short-cut’ isn’t always the best thing to do. The more difficult and detailed something is, the slower you may have to work… just make sure when you’re done… it is done right. In the end, you may accomplish more than the one who rushes through a job and fails at the quality hoped for.
When Jesus finished His work here on earth… nothing was left to chance. When He said, “It is finished” (John 19:30), He meant it. The work of fulfilling the law, and providing a way for lost humanity to be saved was done and done right.
With every task you face…. determine, to do it right the first time, and finish. It may be a small insignificant task… but these are the ones that add up.