Can I Jump from Here?
By James Dodwell - Hammers of Hope.
Good Morning,
“Hey! Dad, can I jump from here?” was the statement that
made me stop and take notice of the activities of our neighbor. We were both
working outside, beautifying our homes. Our neighbor had his two oldest boys
atop the house removing pine straw from the valleys and clearing the gutters. I
was doing the same thing but from a ladder on the ground. The older I get the
more cautious I have become about edges and distance from the ground. However,
the announcement of “Can I jump from here?” caused me to pause and reflect for
a moment, on the days when I didn’t think twice about leaping from a roof edge
to the ground or jumping a ditch or climbing a ladder. You know, the good old
days.
It also reminded me of a story about taking chances. There
were two, not so honest, men who were in desperate need of cash but admittedly
were a bit cowardly. One of the suggested they break into an Amish market. The
logic was that since the Amish were non-resistant, even if they were caught, no
harm would befall them. So they carried out the plot. As they were just
breaking into the cash register, the owner turned on the lights and confronted
them, a shotgun pointed directly at them. The Amish man said, “Boys, I would
never do thee any harm, yet you are standing where I am about to shoot.”
“Can I jump from here?” This is life. We sometimes take
shortcuts to get to where we want to be in our life journey. We think things
aren’t moving fast enough or they are moving in a direction we had not planned
to go, so we “jump from here” to arrive sooner. Sooner isn’t always better.
Sooner isn’t always what we need. Sooner isn’t as good as we thought it would
be. I am not saying taking the quicker way is not good, because, on occasions,
it is actually the better path; however we need to make sure we are prepared.
There have been times in my life when I thought I was ready
for the next step. I felt prepared, I knew what to do, I had the ability and
the talent, but it didn’t happen for me. I was disappointed, resentful, and
even angry, not at anyone in particular, just had those emotions welling up
inside and it made me bitter. What I came to realize is those immature emotions
I was feeling is the very reason the opportunity slipped through my hands. Just
because I had the training, talent and job skills, didn’t make me the best
candidate. The most important piece needed was missing… the maturity to
utilized and share the skill sets, unselfishly with others on the team.
As leaders in our homes, churches, and communities, we need
to understand it takes time to build relationships, trust, character, integrity
and respect. We don’t just “jump from here” into a person of influence with
character and integrity. These values have to be molded and shaped as clay on a
potter’s wheel. These are shaped by living them first and molded by practicing
them each day in all areas of our life, public and private. This is an ongoing
process, constantly changing as we mature into the person we want to become and
are meant to be.
I encourage us take the time and consider where we are in
our personal growth plan before “jumping from here to there.” Be honest with
your self-evaluation. Talk with the people who you consider as mentors. Tell
them your plans for stretching and growing and allow them to help manage the
potter’s wheel as you are molded and shaped into the person you want to become.
Then, as we mature into people of influence, we can better help mentor others
by making a difference in their lives. Isaiah 64:8
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