PERFECTION SHOULD NOT HINDER THE PURSUIT OF GOOD – DEVOTIONAL
Howdy Friends! “A little bit of gain is a good thing.” Grandpop grinned. “My Daddy often told me, steady progress lays the foundation for success.” He pulled his hat and wiped his brow. “We all get impatient, we all want things to go perfect right away. But, son, that ain’t the way she goes.”
“It sure isn’t. Right now I’d take a little bit of gain! The boy scoffed as he fought yet another tangle in the resistant wire. “It’s like it has a life of its own!”
They’d been wrestling with stringing a new barbed wire fence along the ridge all morning. It was hot for early May, making the job all that much more frustrating.
“That’s a good one!” Grandpop dropped the fence pliers in the tool bucket.
“What is?”
“A life of it’s own.” He helped the boy attack the new tangle. “I been dealin’ with one thing or another for a mighty long time, and every obstacle, situation, task or good accomplishment always fought back with a LIFE OF ITS OWN. I never thought about it that way until you just explained it.” He pointed back toward the completed section of fence. “But ya see, one post at a time, one strand at a time, step by step we are buildin’ a mighty fine fence line. You can take pride in your stick to it efforts.”
The boy plopped down on the back of the wagon. “It does look good doesn’t it.”
“Yes sir, you did a man’s job today. And we have a fair piece ta go yet. I know you wanted it all done in a hurry, but bitin’ off too big a chunk of somethin’ – anything, well that’s a recipe for mediocre succuss or just flat out failure. Better to chip away bit by bit until ya can build the final project.”
Grandpop poured a coffee, offered the lad some. “Shade feels good don’t it.” He settled down on the wagon by the boy. “Why just look at this ol’ oak standin’ here offerin’ us this sweet shade. That ol’ oak took probably over a hundred years ta tower this grand. They say ‘mighty oaks from just an acorn grow.’ And probably along the way they have setbacks, frosted leaves, drought, stems nipped off by grazing animals. But through it all, in all them years, set backs and stumbles, why this ol’ oak kep’ her eye on God’s glorious design for her, to stand magnificent, be beautiful to admire, shed shade, offer acorns for wild animals to dine on.” He pointed high, “Yes sir, stay the course, one baby step at a time to achieve what the Good Lord has planned fer ya, wether it’s a fence, a job, or in your case a good education.”
Grandpop took a long sip. “Some folks get frustrated, they think it gotta be this way or that, right outa the box. And sometimes it can be. Other times, in fact most times, it can’t. And we gotta take what we can get, one step at a time. As long as we are moving in the right direction. If a fella forgets that, and says he ain’t doin’ anything if it ain’t just how he wants it, well that’s often how not a thing gets done. There’s another ol’ sayin’, each journey begins with a single step.”
The boy looked back over the completed fence. “And, Grandpop, that fence took a lot of steps!”
“Remember that young mare Annabelle brought us to work out them kinks she had in her behavior?”
“Oh boy do I!” The boy laughed a man sized laugh. “That first week I thought she was going to eat you alive!”
Grandpop laughed too. “I’ll let ya in on a little secret. I did too … But what did we do? If we would have jumped in there and demanded she fixed everything all at once, why not a thing would have been accomplished other than makin’ her more frustrated and unmanageable … Instead we fixed one tiny thing at a time, carefully, precisely and focused. And celebrated with her on each success. Step by step, for five months we worked with her, takin’ our successes as they came and as she understood them … and what was the outcome?”
The boy smiled wide. “She’s my mare now, and as soft as any horse ever could be!”
“There ya go.” Grandpop shook the lad’s hand. “It’s no good ta let the want of perfect ta keep ya from makin’ small progress along the way.”
~ Gitty Up, Dutch.
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Bible Verse – Zechariah 4:10 – “Who dares despise the day of small things, since the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him?”
Bible Verse – Luke 13:19 – “It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds perched in its branches.”
Bible Verse – Matthew 13:32 – “The mustard seed is the smallest of all seeds, but when it is grown, it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree.”
Bible Verse – James 5:7 – “Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains.”
Bible Verse – 1 Corinthians 3:6 – “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow.”
Bible Verse – Romans 8:28 – “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
Bible Verse – Galatians 6:9 – “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”
Bible Verse – Ecclesiastes 3:1 – “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.”
Bible Verse – Luke 14:28 – “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it?”
Bible Verse – Luke 16:10 – “If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones.”
Bible Verse – Matthew 13:33 -“He told them still another parable: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds of flour until it worked all through the dough.’”
