A long time ago I built a set of shelves for my living room. There was a window in the middle of a wall. One shelf unit on the left, another on the right. The lower part of the units was deeper than the upper portion. So about thirty inches off the floor there was a ledge. I built the left unit and put it in place and was pretty pleased. I started in on the unit on the right. When I set it in place, I could immediately see that something was wrong. That ledge part of the unit looked like it was about a foot higher than the one on the left. Really it was 3/4 
of an inch, but it stood out like it was much more.
I very much wanted to be done. I remember laying down in the floor, staring at the obvious error, and trying to come up with a good reason why I didn't have to fix it. All my reasons to leave it alone were short-sighted. Consideration of how long these shelves were going to be a part of the main room in my house finally won the argument. Back to the shop. . . .
When trying to find that sweet spot between settling for that which just won't do, and adapting to that which is beyond my control, that distinction between short and long term is something to remember. Wisdom counsels us to never sacrifice the eternal on the altar of the temporary. (I heard that somewhere.) Yet, how often for the sake of temporary convenience, or short-term comfort do we settle--forfeiting long-term gains?
Maybe it makes sense, the night before that art project is due to declare it an ashtray and turn it in for a D. It makes no
sense to treat my life that way. If you are still breathing God's air, it's too early to quit.
We aren't done yet. Stay tuned. (There is much that is out of my control, but nothing is outside the reach of God. Lord willing, tomorrow.)
It's STTA.
of an inch, but it stood out like it was much more. I very much wanted to be done. I remember laying down in the floor, staring at the obvious error, and trying to come up with a good reason why I didn't have to fix it. All my reasons to leave it alone were short-sighted. Consideration of how long these shelves were going to be a part of the main room in my house finally won the argument. Back to the shop. . . .
When trying to find that sweet spot between settling for that which just won't do, and adapting to that which is beyond my control, that distinction between short and long term is something to remember. Wisdom counsels us to never sacrifice the eternal on the altar of the temporary. (I heard that somewhere.) Yet, how often for the sake of temporary convenience, or short-term comfort do we settle--forfeiting long-term gains?Maybe it makes sense, the night before that art project is due to declare it an ashtray and turn it in for a D. It makes no
sense to treat my life that way. If you are still breathing God's air, it's too early to quit.We aren't done yet. Stay tuned. (There is much that is out of my control, but nothing is outside the reach of God. Lord willing, tomorrow.)
It's STTA.
No comments:
Post a Comment