Being the son of my father taught me to think smart, think fast and think ahead.
I worked with my dad a lot growing up, and I am indebted to him for many of the skills I posses. He taught me how to build, landscape, detail a vehicle, take care of a home and manage finances among many other things. Most of these lessons were learned by simply working alongside of him. I learned about discipleship from my dad long before I even knew about discipleship as a concept.
One defining characteristic of my father is that he comprehends things quickly, he works quickly and he does not waste time. I remember thinking of him one day as we were doing some yard work: "My dad can do more with a rake in 10 minutes than most people could do with a shovel in an hour!" It's true. Challenge him to a yard work contest if you want to find out. Be very afraid.
Because he is so efficient, he is always thinking about what comes next. He is always prepared to tackle the next step as soon as he is finished with the current one. He always expected me to think ahead and never be idle. If he was raking leaves, he expected me to have the bag ready to collect them as soon as he was done. If we were building a new room, he would expect to think ahead and be ready to hand him more nails when they were needed or to anticipate when a cut would need to be made, in which I was to have the saw ready to hand to him.
Now, I realize that not everyone works this way, which is why many people have a hard time working for him. He has gotten so much better, though, at understanding that people operate in very different ways. He doesn't expect everyone to think and work like he does and he is learning to appreciate differences in personality and work style (although he always expects good work ethic, no matter the style).
So, this is how I was raised and this is how I respond to life. I think ahead, I plan and I anticipate the next step. However, I am learning more and more each day that I cannot go on to the next step before I complete the current one. As an example, a common mistake among rookie wide receivers in the NFL is to begin running before fully focusing on catching the ball. If you don't have the ball in your hands, it doesn't matter how far you run. Your effort is futile and fruitless. Task #1: CATCH THE BALL. Task #2: Run. In that order. Oh, and by the way, you have to run the right route first.
It is good to think ahead and plan for the future, but never forget to take care of what God has you doing before you you move on to the next thing. And just like running the correct route is essential to catching a pass, so you must be in the right place in God to receive what he has for you to do (Proverbs 3:5-6).
My lessons for today and in this season of life...
1. Run the correct route - Be where you are supposed to be. Obey God. Acknowledge him in all you do. God cannot bring you into a place of fulfillment until you are in line with his dream for you.
2. Catch the ball - Be diligent with the task at hand. Don't worry about the future until you have let God have his way with you in the present. Let God see that you are at peace living out the things he has set before you.
3. Run - Once you have been faithful with one thing, let God take you on an exciting journey with the next! We always think that running is where we advance and move down the field, but remember that progress is actually in the catch. The run is the blessing God gives us as a result of staying faithful.
Go and live!
