I guess anyone could truthfully say that I am a "procrastinator." I dream up things, then "digest" them in my mind, and shape them to the form that I think will serve either myself or my family best.
This past Saturday was as glorious a day as anyone could dream up. After spending quite a bit of time inside over this winter, I saw this as a wonderful time to get out and enjoy God's present of great, clear, sunshiny weather.
About a year and a half ago, I had the Power Company to come in and reroute the electrical power service to our place. They set one new pole north of the house with one line feeding the house and another to another new pole in the back yard with a night light on it. Also, they installed a "house power" box with another meter for the purpose of running "more power" to my new tractor shed, my new shop and to the barn.
Soon after that time, I dug a 40 foot long ditch from the pole to the new shop and installed the two inch diameter conduit. This conduit was left over material that I purchased from a job site. I have had that material for about ten years. I had the use of this material rolled over and over in my mind, but had not taken any action to utilize it.
I built my new little shop about the time the power company did it's work and did the electrical wiring in the process and got it to a point that it was almost ready to run the service wiring from the pole to the shop. There are one or two little connections to that wiring the lights that have not been completed. "Procrastination!" I still use the only outlet in that shop that feeds from the house until I can get power to the rest of the shop.
I really don't like to use a shovel very much and a hoe is another subject! So, I decided to use the front loader on my tractor to "gouge" out the trench in the open areas and hand dig under the edge of the barn on into the tractor shed. Then use the loader bucket to backfill the trench.
Just as I had finished opening the trenches, one 70 feet long and the other 80 feet long, JoAnne called me in for lunch. Soon after lunch, David, the guy that is leasing our barn and pastures came up with a load of hay. He had to go in the pasture behind the barn, therefore had to cross the trench. He has been a "co-procrastinator" in this power project. I told him that I'd fill the trench enough for him to cross over. He told me not to do that. We would just go ahead and put the conduit in that trench, then when we filled the trench it would be complete.
I helped him unload his hay in the pasture for his cows. Then he told me that he would take the hay truck and trailer back home and come back in his little truck that had all his tools for doing electrical work in. Soon, he came back and we finished the installation of the conduit to the tractor shed. We didn't finish with that until dark, so I didn't get the trench backfilled until Monday.This past Saturday was as glorious a day as anyone could dream up. After spending quite a bit of time inside over this winter, I saw this as a wonderful time to get out and enjoy God's present of great, clear, sunshiny weather.
About a year and a half ago, I had the Power Company to come in and reroute the electrical power service to our place. They set one new pole north of the house with one line feeding the house and another to another new pole in the back yard with a night light on it. Also, they installed a "house power" box with another meter for the purpose of running "more power" to my new tractor shed, my new shop and to the barn.
Soon after that time, I dug a 40 foot long ditch from the pole to the new shop and installed the two inch diameter conduit. This conduit was left over material that I purchased from a job site. I have had that material for about ten years. I had the use of this material rolled over and over in my mind, but had not taken any action to utilize it.
I built my new little shop about the time the power company did it's work and did the electrical wiring in the process and got it to a point that it was almost ready to run the service wiring from the pole to the shop. There are one or two little connections to that wiring the lights that have not been completed. "Procrastination!" I still use the only outlet in that shop that feeds from the house until I can get power to the rest of the shop.
I really don't like to use a shovel very much and a hoe is another subject! So, I decided to use the front loader on my tractor to "gouge" out the trench in the open areas and hand dig under the edge of the barn on into the tractor shed. Then use the loader bucket to backfill the trench.
Just as I had finished opening the trenches, one 70 feet long and the other 80 feet long, JoAnne called me in for lunch. Soon after lunch, David, the guy that is leasing our barn and pastures came up with a load of hay. He had to go in the pasture behind the barn, therefore had to cross the trench. He has been a "co-procrastinator" in this power project. I told him that I'd fill the trench enough for him to cross over. He told me not to do that. We would just go ahead and put the conduit in that trench, then when we filled the trench it would be complete.
Now! David is in the process of finding enough heavy duty wire to feed 55 feet into the shop, 85 feet into the tractor shed and storage room beside it and the 75 feet to the barn. We will do some rewiring of the old lights and outlets in the barn, wire the tractor shed and storeroom and the new shop and I will figure out the proper and safe way to connect the lights in the shop.
It is a tight race between David and me as to who is the worse procrastinator. I am now fired up and want to get that project completed, so I will stay on it and get it finished soon.
As it relates to the "Steps for Power," God provides the first step by giving us His Word to digest, learn and convict us that it is His power that enables us to lead our lives in accordance with His Word. We do the "preliminary" Steps to accept His Word and to accept His guidance. I associate this with the "thinking" and taking the first step of completing the work in progress.
The "Second Step for Power" is to put all His plans for us into action in accordance with His gift of knowledge and strength.
The next "Step for Power" will be to make the connection with the "wiring" that he provides through prayer and Bible study and fully accepting His Grace to "Light up our World" through and for Him. When I get the wiring installed and turn the circuit breakers, I will have the earthly, electric power to run saws, drills and other power tools to create "things" in the shop and lights to the barn and tractor shed.
If we listen to God's plan for us, put Him first in our minds and hearts, He will provide the power that we need to deal with the complex situations of this world.
1 comment:
This is a great analogy. I totally enjoyed reading it. Someone a lot smarter than me once said that those who change the world have a bias toward action. Plan it, think it, pray about it, but sooner or later, you have to dig the ditch!
Great post!
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